Ar-Ar_Redux: rigorous error propagation of 40Ar/39Ar data, including covariances

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vermeesch, P.

2015-12-01

Rigorous data reduction and error propagation algorithms are needed to realise Earthtime's objective to improve the interlaboratory accuracy of 40Ar/39Ar dating to better than 1% and thereby facilitate the comparison and combination of the K-Ar and U-Pb chronometers. Ar-Ar_Redux is a new data reduction protocol and software program for 40Ar/39Ar geochronology which takes into account two previously underappreciated aspects of the method: 1. 40Ar/39Ar measurements are compositional dataIn its simplest form, the 40Ar/39Ar age equation can be written as: t = log(1+J [40Ar/39Ar-298.5636Ar/39Ar])/λ = log(1 + JR)/λ Where λ is the 40K decay constant and J is the irradiation parameter. The age t does not depend on the absolute abundances of the three argon isotopes but only on their relative ratios. Thus, the 36Ar, 39Ar and 40Ar abundances can be normalised to unity and plotted on a ternary diagram or 'simplex'. Argon isotopic data are therefore subject to the peculiar mathematics of 'compositional data', sensu Aitchison (1986, The Statistical Analysis of Compositional Data, Chapman & Hall). 2. Correlated errors are pervasive throughout the 40Ar/39Ar methodCurrent data reduction protocols for 40Ar/39Ar geochronology propagate the age uncertainty as follows: σ2(t) = [J2 σ2(R) + R2 σ2(J)] / [λ2 (1 + R J)], which implies zero covariance between R and J. In reality, however, significant error correlations are found in every step of the 40Ar/39Ar data acquisition and processing, in both single and multi collector instruments, during blank, interference and decay corrections, age calculation etc. Ar-Ar_Redux revisits every aspect of the 40Ar/39Ar method by casting the raw mass spectrometer data into a contingency table of logratios, which automatically keeps track of all covariances in a compositional context. Application of the method to real data reveals strong correlations (r2 of up to 0.9) between age measurements within a single irradiation batch. Propertly taking

WHY IS A FLARE-RICH ACTIVE REGION CME-POOR?

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Liu, Lijuan; Wang, Yuming; Shen, Chenglong

Solar active regions (ARs) are the major sources of two of the most violent solar eruptions, namely flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs). The largest AR in the past 24 years, NOAA AR 12192, which crossed the visible disk from 2014 October 17 to 30, unusually produced more than one hundred flares, including 32 M-class and 6 X-class ones, but only one small CME. Flares and CMEs are believed to be two phenomena in the same eruptive process. Why is such a flare-rich AR so CME-poor? We compared this AR with other four ARs; two were productive in both andmore » two were inert. The investigation of the photospheric parameters based on the SDO /HMI vector magnetogram reveals that the flare-rich AR 12192, as with the other two productive ARs, has larger magnetic flux, current, and free magnetic energy than the two inert ARs but, in contrast to the two productive ARs, it has no strong, concentrated current helicity along both sides of the flaring neutral line, indicating the absence of a mature magnetic structure consisting of highly sheared or twisted field lines. Furthermore, the decay index above the AR 12192 is relatively low, showing strong constraint. These results suggest that productive ARs are always large and have enough current and free energy to power flares, but whether or not a flare is accompanied by a CME is seemingly related to (1) the presence of a mature sheared or twisted core field serving as the seed of the CME, or (2) a weak enough constraint of the overlying arcades.« less

Outcome of ABCA4 disease-associated alleles in autosomal recessive retinal dystrophies: retrospective analysis in 420 Spanish families.

PubMed

Riveiro-Alvarez, Rosa; Lopez-Martinez, Miguel-Angel; Zernant, Jana; Aguirre-Lamban, Jana; Cantalapiedra, Diego; Avila-Fernandez, Almudena; Gimenez, Ascension; Lopez-Molina, Maria-Isabel; Garcia-Sandoval, Blanca; Blanco-Kelly, Fiona; Corton, Marta; Tatu, Sorina; Fernandez-San Jose, Patricia; Trujillo-Tiebas, Maria-Jose; Ramos, Carmen; Allikmets, Rando; Ayuso, Carmen

2013-11-01

To provide a comprehensive overview of all detected mutations in the ABCA4 gene in Spanish families with autosomal recessive retinal disorders, including Stargardt's disease (arSTGD), cone-rod dystrophy (arCRD), and retinitis pigmentosa (arRP), and to assess genotype-phenotype correlation and disease progression in 10 years by considering the type of variants and age at onset. Case series. A total of 420 unrelated Spanish families: 259 arSTGD, 86 arCRD, and 75 arRP. Spanish families were analyzed through a combination of ABCR400 genotyping microarray, denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography, and high-resolution melting scanning. Direct sequencing was used as a confirmation technique for the identified variants. Screening by multiple ligation probe analysis was used to detect possible large deletions or insertions in the ABCA4 gene. Selected families were analyzed further by next generation sequencing. DNA sequence variants, mutation detection rates, haplotypes, age at onset, central or peripheral vision loss, and night blindness. Overall, we detected 70.5% and 36.6% of all expected ABCA4 mutations in arSTGD and arCRD patient cohorts, respectively. In the fraction of the cohort where the ABCA4 gene was sequenced completely, the detection rates reached 73.6% for arSTGD and 66.7% for arCRD. However, the frequency of possibly pathogenic ABCA4 alleles in arRP families was only slightly higher than that in the general population. Moreover, in some families, mutations in other known arRP genes segregated with the disease phenotype. An increasing understanding of causal ABCA4 alleles in arSTGD and arCRD facilitates disease diagnosis and prognosis and also is paramount in selecting patients for emerging clinical trials of therapeutic interventions. Because ABCA4-associated diseases are evolving retinal dystrophies, assessment of age at onset, accurate clinical diagnosis, and genetic testing are crucial. We suggest that ABCA4 mutations may be associated with a

Association study of ERβ, AR, and CYP19A1 genes and MtF transsexualism.

PubMed

Fernández, Rosa; Esteva, Isabel; Gómez-Gil, Esther; Rumbo, Teresa; Almaraz, Mari Cruz; Roda, Ester; Haro-Mora, Juan-Jesús; Guillamón, Antonio; Pásaro, Eduardo

2014-12-01

The etiology of male-to-female (MtF) transsexualism is unknown. Both genetic and neurological factors may play an important role. To investigate the possible influence of the genetic factor on the etiology of MtF transsexualism. We carried out a cytogenetic and molecular analysis in 442 MtFs and 473 healthy, age- and geographical origin-matched XY control males. The karyotype was investigated by G-banding and by high-density array in the transsexual group. The molecular analysis involved three tandem variable regions of genes estrogen receptor β (ERβ) (CA tandem repeats in intron 5), androgen receptor (AR) (CAG tandem repeats in exon 1), and CYP19A1 (TTTA tandem repeats in intron 4). The allele and genotype frequencies, after division into short and long alleles, were obtained. We investigated the association between genotype and transsexualism by performing a molecular analysis of three variable regions of genes ERβ, AR, and CYP19A1 in 915 individuals (442 MtFs and 473 control males). Most MtFs showed an unremarkable 46,XY karyotype (97.96%). No specific chromosome aberration was associated with MtF transsexualism, and prevalence of aneuploidy (2.04%) was slightly higher than in the general population. Molecular analyses showed no significant difference in allelic or genotypic distribution of the genes examined between MtFs and controls. Moreover, molecular findings presented no evidence of an association between the sex hormone-related genes (ERβ, AR, and CYP19A1) and MtF transsexualism. The study suggests that the analysis of karyotype provides limited information in these subjects. Variable regions analyzed from ERβ, AR, and CYP19A1 are not associated with MtF transsexualism. Nevertheless, this does not exclude other polymorphic regions not analyzed. © 2014 International Society for Sexual Medicine.

Identification of novel alleles of the rice blast resistance gene Pi54

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vasudevan, Kumar; Gruissem, Wilhelm; Bhullar, Navreet K.

2015-10-01

Rice blast is one of the most devastating rice diseases and continuous resistance breeding is required to control the disease. The rice blast resistance gene Pi54 initially identified in an Indian cultivar confers broad-spectrum resistance in India. We explored the allelic diversity of the Pi54 gene among 885 Indian rice genotypes that were found resistant in our screening against field mixture of naturally existing M. oryzae strains as well as against five unique strains. These genotypes are also annotated as rice blast resistant in the International Rice Genebank database. Sequence-based allele mining was used to amplify and clone the Pi54 allelic variants. Nine new alleles of Pi54 were identified based on the nucleotide sequence comparison to the Pi54 reference sequence as well as to already known Pi54 alleles. DNA sequence analysis of the newly identified Pi54 alleles revealed several single polymorphic sites, three double deletions and an eight base pair deletion. A SNP-rich region was found between a tyrosine kinase phosphorylation site and the nucleotide binding site (NBS) domain. Together, the newly identified Pi54 alleles expand the allelic series and are candidates for rice blast resistance breeding programs.

Pig StAR: mRNA expression and alternative splicing in testis and Leydig cells, and association analyses with testicular morphology traits.

PubMed

Zhang, Yanghai; Cui, Yang; Zhang, Xuelian; Wang, Yimin; Gao, Jiayang; Yu, Ting; Lv, Xiaoyan; Pan, Chuanying

2018-05-31

Steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR), primarily expressed in Leydig cells (LCs) in the mammalian testes, is essential for testosterone biosynthesis and male fertility. However, no previous reports have explored the expression profiles, alternative splicing and genetic variations of StAR gene in pig. The aim of current study was to explore the expression profiles in different tissues and different types of testicular cells (LCs; spermatogonial stem cells, SSCs; Sertoli cells, SCs), to identify different splice variants and their expression levels, as well as to detect the indel polymorphism in pig StAR gene. Expression analysis results revealed that StAR was widely expressed in all tested tissues and the expression level in testis was significantly higher than that in other tissues (P < 0.01); among different types of testicular cells, the StAR mRNA expression level was significantly higher in LCs than others (P < 0.05). Furthermore, three splice variants, StAR-a, StAR-b and StAR-c, were first found in pig. Further study showed StAR-a was highly expressed in both testis and LCs when compared with other variants (P < 0.01), suggesting StAR-a was the primary variant at StAR gene post-transcription and may facilitate the combination and transportation of cholesterol with StAR. In addition, a 5-bp duplicated deletion (NC_010457.5:g.5524-5528 delACTTG) was verified in the porcine StAR gene, which was closely related to male testicular morphology traits (P < 0.05), and we speculated that the allele "D" of StAR gene might be a positive allele. Briefly, the current findings suggest that StAR and StAR-a play imperative roles in male fertility and the 5-bp indel can be a potential DNA marker for the marker-assisted selection in boar. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

An alternative hypothesis for high-T 40Ar/39Ar age spectrum discordance in polyphase extraterrestrial materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cassata, W. S.; Shuster, D. L.; Renne, P. R.; Weiss, B. P.

2009-12-01

A common feature observed in 40Ar/39Ar age spectra of extraterrestrial (ET) rocks is a conspicuous decrease in the ages of high temperature extractions relative to lower temperature steps and a correlated increase in Ca/K, often succeeded by a monotonic increase in ages. This feature is routinely attributed to recoil-implanted 39Ar from a potassium (K)-rich donor phase into a K-poor receptor phase (e.g., 1,2). While 39Ar recoil redistribution is undoubtedly manifested in many terrestrial and ET 40Ar/39Ar whole-rock age spectra, it cannot easily explain the magnitude of high release temperature 40Ar*/39ArK anomalies observed in Martian meteorites ALH 84001 and Nakhla, as well as other course-grained meteorites and lunar rocks. Depending on the aliquot and sample, 50 - 100% of the pyroxene release spectra in ALH 84001 and Nakhla appear strongly perturbed to lower ages. As the mean recoil distance of 39Ar ~0.1 µm, the recoil hypothesis demands that a high-K phase be ubiquitously distributed amongst sub-micron to micron sized pyroxene crystals to account for the observed pyroxene age spectra. However, in both Nakhla and ALH 84001, pyroxene is often completely isolated from high-K phases and individual grains commonly exceed 100 µm in diameter. 40Ar/39Ar analyses of pyroxene-bearing terrestrial basalts, wherein fine-grained pyroxene and plagioclase are intimately adjoined, show that recoil-implanted 39Ar into pyroxene produces much less precipitous anomalies in 40Ar*/39ArK, as predicted by the recoil lengthscale. An alternative hypothesis is that whole-rock age spectra of ET samples with anomalously low ages at high temperatures may reflect diffusive 40Ar distributions within considerably degassed pyroxene grains. Owing to apparent differences in activation energies between glass and/or plagioclase and pyroxene, 40Ar may diffuse more rapidly from pyroxene under certain high-temperature conditions (i.e., above the temperature at which the extrapolated Ar Arrhenius

A natural laboratory for 40Ar/39Ar geochronology: ICDP cores from Lake Van, Turkey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Engelhardt, Jonathan; Sudo, Masafumi; Oberhänsli, Roland

2015-04-01

Pore water samples from ICDP Paleovan cores indicate a limited pore water exchange within Quaternary lake sediments. The core's volcaniclastic sections bear unaltered K-rich ternary feldspar and fresh to altered glass shards of predominantly rhyolitic composition. Whereas applying the 40Ar/39Ar method on feldspars resulted in ages timing a late-stage crystallization, glass shards had the potential to date the eruption. Volcanic glass is prone to modifications such as hydrous alteration (palagonitization) and devitrification (Cerling et al., 1985). These modifications affect the glass' chemistry and challenge the application of the 40Ar/39Ar method. Gaining precise radiometric ages from two phases has the potential to strengthen a climate-stratigraphic age-model (Stockhecke et al., 2014), and to significantly increase the temporal resolution on the deposition of the lake sediments. Vice versa the core's previous age model has the ability to question the reliability of 40Ar/39Ar eruption ages derived from ternary feldspars and glass shards. Multi- and single-grain total fusion on alkali feldspars from six volcaniclastic deposits resulted in Pleistocene ages that are in good agreement with the predicted age model. Feldspar phenocrysts from three ashes in the core's youngest section yielded consistent isochron ages that are significantly older than the model's prediction. Several distinct stratigraphic and paleomagnetic time markers of similar stratigraphic positions contradict to the older radiometric dates (Stockhecke et al., 2014). Partial resorption features of inherited feldspar domains and the involvement of excess 40Ar indicate incomplete degassing of older domains. To evaluate the magmatic history of the different domains EMPA mappings of trace elements that could be interpreted as Ar diffusion couples are currently conducted. Geochronology on Paleovan cores offers unique opportunities to monitor the effect of alteration on the Ar-systematics of volcanic glass

Organic reactions mediated by electrochemically generated ArS+.

PubMed

Matsumoto, Kouichi; Suga, Seiji; Yoshida, Jun-ichi

2011-04-21

Low-temperature electrochemical oxidation of ArSSAr was carried out to generate a pool of "ArS(+)". Spectroscopic studies ((1)H NMR and CSI-MS) of the resulting solution revealed the accumulation of ArS(ArSSAr)(+). The resulting "ArS(+)" pool reacted with alkenes and alkynes to give diarylthio-substituted products. The "ArS(+)" pool rapidly reacted with thioacetals to give the corresponding alkoxycarbenium ion pools, which reacted with various carbon nucleophiles (indirect cation pool method). The reaction of the alkoxycarbenium ion pools with stilbene derivatives in the presence of ArSSAr gave thiochroman derivatives. In addition to such stoichiometric reactions, a catalytic amount of "ArS(+)" serves as an initiator and a chain carrier of some cationic chain reactions involving intramolecular carbon-carbon bond formation. In situ generation of "ArS(+)" by electrochemical oxidation of ArSSAr with a catalytic amount of electricity in the presence of a substrate is also effective for such cationic chain reactions.

Meiotic recombination generates rich diversity in NK cell receptor genes, alleles, and haplotypes

PubMed Central

Norman, Paul J.; Abi-Rached, Laurent; Gendzekhadze, Ketevan; Hammond, John A.; Moesta, Achim K.; Sharma, Deepti; Graef, Thorsten; McQueen, Karina L.; Guethlein, Lisbeth A.; Carrington, Christine V.F.; Chandanayingyong, Dasdayanee; Chang, Yih-Hsin; Crespí, Catalina; Saruhan-Direskeneli, Güher; Hameed, Kamran; Kamkamidze, Giorgi; Koram, Kwadwo A.; Layrisse, Zulay; Matamoros, Nuria; Milà, Joan; Park, Myoung Hee; Pitchappan, Ramasamy M.; Ramdath, D. Dan; Shiau, Ming-Yuh; Stephens, Henry A.F.; Struik, Siske; Tyan, Dolly; Verity, David H.; Vaughan, Robert W.; Davis, Ronald W.; Fraser, Patricia A.; Riley, Eleanor M.; Ronaghi, Mostafa; Parham, Peter

2009-01-01

Natural killer (NK) cells contribute to the essential functions of innate immunity and reproduction. Various genes encode NK cell receptors that recognize the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) Class I molecules expressed by other cells. For primate NK cells, the killer-cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIR) are a variable and rapidly evolving family of MHC Class I receptors. Studied here is KIR3DL1/S1, which encodes receptors for highly polymorphic human HLA-A and -B and comprises three ancient allelic lineages that have been preserved by balancing selection throughout human evolution. While the 3DS1 lineage of activating receptors has been conserved, the two 3DL1 lineages of inhibitory receptors were diversified through inter-lineage recombination with each other and with 3DS1. Prominent targets for recombination were D0-domain polymorphisms, which modulate enhancer function, and dimorphism at position 283 in the D2 domain, which influences inhibitory function. In African populations, unequal crossing over between the 3DL1 and 3DL2 genes produced a deleted KIR haplotype in which the telomeric “half” was reduced to a single fusion gene with functional properties distinct from its 3DL1 and 3DL2 parents. Conversely, in Eurasian populations, duplication of the KIR3DL1/S1 locus by unequal crossing over has enabled individuals to carry and express alleles of all three KIR3DL1/S1 lineages. These results demonstrate how meiotic recombination combines with an ancient, preserved diversity to create new KIR phenotypes upon which natural selection acts. A consequence of such recombination is to blur the distinction between alleles and loci in the rapidly evolving human KIR gene family. PMID:19411600

Constraining the alteration history of a Late Cretaceous Patagonian volcaniclastic bentonite-ash-mudstone sequence using K-Ar and 40Ar/39Ar isotopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Warr, L. N.; Hofmann, H.; van der Pluijm, B. A.

2017-01-01

Smectite is typically considered unsuitable for radiometric dating, as argon (40Ar) produced from decay of exchangeable potassium (40K) located in the interlayer sites can be lost during fluid-rock interaction and/or during wet sample preparation in the laboratory. However, age analysis of Late Cretaceous Argentinian bentonites and associated volcaniclastic rocks from Lago Pellegrini, Northern Patagonia, indicates that, in the case of these very low-permeability rocks, the radioactive 40Ar was retained and thus can provide information on smectite age and the timing of rock alteration. This study presents isotopic results that indicate the ash-to-bentonite conversion and alteration of the overlying tuffaceous mudstones in Northern Patagonia was complete 13-17 my after middle Campanian sedimentation when the system isotopically closed. The general absence of illite in these smectite-rich lithologies reflects the low activity of K and the low temperature (<60 °C) of the formation waters that altered the parent ash.

40Ar/39Ar geochronology of submarine Mauna Loa volcano, Hawaii

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jicha, B.; Rhodes, J. M.; Singer, B. S.; Vollinger, M. J.; Garcia, M. O.

2009-12-01

trapped argon with a 40Ar/36Ar ratio that is indistinguishable from the atmospheric value of 295.5. Therefore, we consider the plateau ages to provide the most precise estimate of time elapsed since eruption. Lavas from 857, 1753, and 2112 mbsl give indistinguishable plateau ages of 473 ± 29, 463 ± 33, and 472 ± 107, respectively, implying an extraordinary period of lava accumulation. If correct, this implies that ~1300 m of lava was emplaced on the SWR at a rate far exceeding that proposed in previous accumulation models for Mauna Loa or Mauna Kea, possibly correlating with the peak of the shield-building stage. Three experiments from a more K-rich lava (0.67 wt. % K2O) near the top of the landslide scarp gave a weighted mean plateau age of 193 ± 16 ka, indicating a marked decline in eruption rates on this part of the SWR.

Effect of thermal maturation on the K-Ar, Rb-Sr and REE systematics of an organic-rich New Albany Shale as determined by hydrous pyrolysis

USGS Publications Warehouse

Clauer, Norbert; Chaudhuri, Sambhudas; Lewan, M.D.; Toulkeridis, T.

2006-01-01

Hydrous-pyrolysis experiments were conducted on an organic-rich Devonian-Mississippian shale, which was also leached by dilute HCl before and after pyrolysis, to identify and quantify the induced chemical and isotopic changes in the rock. The experiments significantly affect the organic-mineral organization, which plays an important role in natural interactions during diagenetic hydrocarbon maturation in source rocks. They produce 10.5% of volatiles and the amount of HCl leachables almost doubles from about 6% to 11%. The Rb-Sr and K-Ar data are significantly modified, but not just by removal of radiogenic 40Ar and 87Sr, as described in many studies of natural samples at similar thermal and hydrous conditions. The determining reactions relate to alteration of the organic matter marked by a significant change in the heavy REEs in the HCl leachate after pyrolysis, underlining the potential effects of acidic fluids in natural environments. Pyrolysis induces also release from organics of some Sr with a very low 87Sr/86Sr ratio, as well as part of U. Both seem to have been volatilised during the experiment, whereas other metals such as Pb, Th and part of U appear to have been transferred from soluble phases into stable (silicate?) components. Increase of the K2O and radiogenic 40Ar contents of the silicate minerals after pyrolysis is explained by removal of other elements that could only be volatilised, as the system remains strictly closed during the experiment. The observed increase in radiogenic 40Ar implies that it was not preferentially released as a volatile gas phase when escaping the altered mineral phases. It had to be re-incorporated into newly-formed soluble phases, which is opposite to the general knowledge about the behavior of Ar in supergene natural environments. Because of the strictly closed-system conditions, hydrous-pyrolysis experiments allow to better identify and even quantify the geochemical aspects of organic-inorganic interactions, such as

40Ar/39Ar Dating of Volcanic Glass

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morgan, L. E.; Renne, P. R.; Watkins, J. M.

2007-12-01

Application of the 40Ar/39Ar method to volcanic glasses has been somewhat stigmatized following several studies demonstrating secondary mobility of K and Ar. Much of the stigma is unwarranted, however, since most studies only impugned the reliability of the K-Ar and 40Ar/39Ar techniques when applied to glass shards rather than obsidian clasts with low surface area to volume ratios. We provide further evidence for problematic K loss and/or 39Ar recoil ejection from glass shards in 40Ar/39Ar step heating results for comagmatic feldspars and shards. In an extreme case, the plateau age of the feldspars (0.17 ± 0.03 Ma at 2σ) is significantly younger than the plateau age of the glass (0.85 ± 0.05 Ma at 2σ). If the feldspar age is reasonably interpreted as the eruption age of the ash, it is likely that the glass shards experienced K and/or 39Ar loss. Electron microprobe analyses of the glass shards have low totals (~93%) and no systematic lateral variability (i.e., diffusion gradients) in K, suggesting that the lengthscale of the glass shards is smaller than the lengthscale of K diffusion. Obsidian clasts should not be as susceptible to K loss since any hydrated (K-depleted) volume represents a small fraction of the total material and can often be physically removed prior to analysis. Samples described here are detrital obsidian clasts from the Afar region of Ethiopia. Evidence from Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), and previous work by Anovitz (1999), confirm that the scale of water and potassium mobility are often small in comparison to the size of obsidian clasts but large enough to effect the bulk composition of glass shards. This expectation is confirmed in another tuff wherein comagmatic obsidian clasts and sanidine phenocrysts yield indistinguishable 40Ar/39Ar ages of 4.4 Ma High abundances of non-radiogenic 40Ar, and kinetic fractionation of Ar isotopes during quenching and/or laboratory degassing resulting in incomplete equilibration between

Ar/Ar Dating Independent of Monitor Standard Ages

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boswell, S.; Hemming, S. R.

2015-12-01

Because the reported age of an analyzed sample is dependent on the age of the co-irradiated monitor standard(s), Ar/Ar dating is a relative dating technique. There is disagreement at the 1% scale in the age of commonly used monitor standards, and there is a great need to improve the inter-laboratory calibrations. Additionally, new approaches and insights are needed to meet the challenge of bringing the Ar/Ar chronometer to the highest possible precision and accuracy. In this spirit, we present a conceptual framework for Ar/Ar dating that does not depend on the age of monitor standards, but only on the K content of a solid standard. The concept is demonstrated by introducing a re-expressed irradiation parameter (JK) that depends on the ratio of 39ArK to 40Ar* rather than the 40Ar*/39ArK ratio. JK is equivalent to the traditional irradiation parameter J and is defined as JK = (39Ar/40K) • (λ/λe). The ultimate precision and accuracy of the method will depend on how precisely and accurately the 39Ar and 40K can be estimated, and will require isotope dilution measurements of both from the same aliquot. We are testing the workability of our technique at the 1% level by measuring weighed and irradiated hornblende and biotite monitor standards using GLO-1 glauconite to define a calibration curve for argon signals versus abundance.

40Ar/36Ar analyses of historic lava flows

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dalrymple, G.B.

1969-01-01

The ratio 40Ar/36Ar was measured for 26 subaerial historic lava flows. Approximately one-third of the samples had 40Ar/36Ar ratios either higher or lower than the atmospheric value of 295.5 at the 95% confidence level. Excess radiogenic 40Ar in five flows ranged from about 1 ?? 10-13 to 1.5 ?? 10-12 mol/g. Possible excess 36Ar in three flows was on the order of 10-16 to 10-15 mol/g. Upper 95% confidence limits for excess 40Ar in samples with normal 40Ar/36Ar ratios are generally less than 3 ?? 10-13 mol/g. The origin of the excess 36Ar is unknown but it may be due either to the incorporation of primitive argon that has been stored in the mantle in very low potassium environments or to enrichment in 36Ar as atmospheric argon diffuses into the rocks after they cool. ?? 1969.

Xenocrysts and antecrysts and their effect on the precision of 40Ar/39Ar dates of explosive volcanic eruption

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, V.; Mark, D.; Blockley, S.; Weh, A.

2010-12-01

Evolved melts that fuel large explosive eruptions encounter, and are often generated through melting, crystal-rich parts of the magmatic system that fed previous eruptions. This results in many antecrysts being incorporated into the magma prior to eruption. In addition, many xenocrysts are entrained during eruption through conduit excavation. Combining all these crystal populations produces 40Ar/39Ar dates with wide-ranges, such as those that are often reported in the literature. In order to gain very precise dates of volcanic events it is thus necessary to assess whether antecrysts and xenocrysts effect the precision of the dates, and establish ways to reduce these components. Here we use the deposits of the ~11 ka Ulleung-Oki eruption from the alkaline volcanic island of Ulleung, situated 130 km east of the Korean peninsula. The eruption deposits are widely dispersed and found in the Suigetsu lake sequence from central Japan. A precise date of the tephra would help with construction of the terrestrial radiocarbon calibration curve that spans back to the limit of radiocarbon dating (~50 ka). The new calibration model is currently being constructed using varve chronology (annual layer counting) and >600 14C determinations of terrestrial macrofossils*. However, the annual layers stop shortly after the 2 cm-thick Ulleung-Oki tephra. Precise dates of this volcanic event using a method that is independent of radiocarbon dating, would help validate the chronology of the core, and test the validity of the radiocarbon calibration curve. The tephra in the core has been correlated to proximal deposits using major and trace element composition (determined using an electron microprobe and LA-ICPMS) of the glass shards that comprise the distal ash. The proximal Ulleung-Oki eruption deposits are sandine-rich with crystals that range from ~80 microns to a few millimetres in size. These are likely to be a mixture of phenocrysts, antecrysts and xenocrysts. In order to get a very

SHRIMP U-Pb and 40Ar/39Ar age constraints for relating plutonism and mineralization in the Boulder batholith region, Montana

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lund, K.; Aleinikoff, J.N.; Kunk, Michael J.; Unruh, D.M.; Zeihen, G.D.; Hodges, W.C.; du Bray, E.A.; O'Neill, J. M.

2002-01-01

The composite Boulder batholith, Montana, hosts a variety of mineral deposit types, including important silver-rich polymetallic quartz vein districts in the northern part of the batholith and the giant Butte porphyry copper-molybdenum pre-Main Stage system and crosscutting copper-rich Main Stage vein system in the southern part of the batholith. Previous dating studies have identified ambiguous relationships among igneous and mineralizing events. Mineralizing hydrothermal fluids for these types of deposits and magma for quartz porphyry dikes at Butte have all been considered to be late-stage differentiates of the Boulder batholith. However, previous dating studies indicated that the Boulder batholith plutons cooled from about 78 to 72 Ma, whereas copper-rich Main Stage veins at Butte were dated at about 61 Ma. Recent efforts to date the porphyry copper-molybdenum pre-Main Stage deposits at Butte resulted in conflicting estimates of both 64 and 76 Ma for the mineralizing events. Silver-rich polymetallic quartz vein deposits elsewhere in the batholith have not been dated previously. To resolve this controversy, we used the U.S. Geological Survey, Stanford, SHRIMP RG ion mic??roprobe to date single-age domains within zircons from plutonic rock samples and 40Ar/39Ar geochronology to date white mica, biotite, and K-feldspar from mineral deposits. U-Pb zircon ages are Rader Creek Granodiorite, 80.4 ?? 1.2 Ma; Unionville Granodiorite, 78.2 ?? 0.8 Ma; Pulpit Rock granite, 76.5 ?? 0.8 Ma; Butte Granite, 74.5 ?? 0.9 Ma; altered Steward-type quartz porphyry dike (I-15 roadcut), 66.5 ?? 1.0 Ma; altered Steward-type quartz porphyry dike (Continental pit), 65.7 ?? 0.9 Ma; and quartz monzodiorite of Boulder Baldy (Big Belt Mountains), 66.2 ?? 0.9 Ma. Zircons from Rader Creek Granodiorite and quartz porphyry dike samples contain Archean inheritance. The 40Ar/39Ar ages are muscovite, silver-rich polymetallic quartz vein (Basin district), 74.4 ?? 0.3 Ma; muscovite, silver-rich

Direct Measurement of Recoil Effects on Ar-Ar Standards

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hall, C. M.

2011-12-01

Advances in the precision possible with the Ar-Ar method using new techniques and equipment have led to considerable effort to improve the accuracy of the calibration of interlaboratory standards. However, ultimately the accuracy of the method relies on the measurement of 40Ar*/39ArK ratios on primary standards that have been calibrated with the K-Ar method and, in turn, on secondary standards that are calibrated against primary standards. It is usually assumed that an Ar-Ar total gas age is equivalent to a K-Ar age, but this assumes that there is zero loss of Ar due to recoil. Instead, traditional Ar-Ar total gas ages are in fact Ar retention ages [1] and not, strictly speaking, comparable to K-Ar ages. There have been efforts to estimate the importance of this effect on standards along with prescriptions for minimizing recoil effects [2,3], but these studies have relied on indirect evidence for 39Ar recoil. We report direct measurements of 39Ar recoil for a set of primary and secondary standards using the vacuum encapsulation techniques of [1] and show that significant adjustments to ages assigned to some standards may be needed. The fraction f of 39Ar lost due to recoil for primary standards MMhb-1 hornblende and GA-1550 biotite are 0.00367 and 0.00314 respectively. It is possible to modify the assumed K-Ar ages of these standards so that when using their measured Ar retention 40Ar*/39ArK ratios, one obtains a correct K-Ar age for an unknown, assuming that the unknown sample has zero loss of 39Ar due to recoil. Assuming a primary K-Ar age for MMhb-1 of 520.4 Ma, the modified age would be 522.1 Ma and assuming a primary K-Ar age for GA-1550 of 98.79 Ma [4] yields a modified effective age of 99.09 Ma. Measured f values for secondary standards FCT-3 biotite, FCT-2 sanidine and TCR-2 sanidine are 0.00932, 0.00182 and 0.00039 respectively. Using an R value for FCT-3 biotite relative to MMhb-1 [5], the K-Ar age for this standard would be 27.83 Ma and using R values

40Ar/39Ar geochronology of terrestrial pyroxene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ware, Bryant; Jourdan, Fred

2018-06-01

Geochronological techniques such as U/Pb in zircon and baddeleyite and 40Ar/39Ar on a vast range of minerals, including sanidine, plagioclase, and biotite, provide means to date an array of different geologic processes. Many of these minerals, however, are not always present in a given rock, or can be altered by secondary processes (e.g. plagioclase in mafic rocks) limiting our ability to derive an isotopic age. Pyroxene is a primary rock forming mineral for both mafic and ultramafic rocks and is resistant to alteration process but attempts to date this phase with 40Ar/39Ar has been met with little success so far. In this study, we analyzed pyroxene crystals from two different Large Igneous Provinces using a multi-collector noble gas mass spectrometer (ARGUS VI) since those machines have been shown to significantly improve analytical precision compared to the previous single-collector instruments. We obtain geologically meaningful and relatively precise 40Ar/39Ar plateau ages ranging from 184.6 ± 3.9 to 182.4 ± 0.8 Ma (2σ uncertainties of ±1.8-0.4%) and 506.3 ± 3.4 Ma for Tasmanian and Kalkarindji dolerites, respectively. Those data are indistinguishable from new and/or published U-Pb and 40Ar/39Ar plagioclase ages showing that 40Ar/39Ar dating of pyroxene is a suitable geochronological tool. Scrutinizing the analytical results of the pyroxene analyses as well as comparing them to the analytical result from plagioclase of the same samples indicate pure pyroxene was dated. Numerical models of argon diffusion in plagioclase and pyroxene support these observations. However, we found that the viability of 40Ar/39Ar dating approach of pyroxene can be affected by irradiation-induced recoil redistribution between thin pyroxene exsolution lamellae and the main pyroxene crystal, hence requiring careful petrographic observations before analysis. Finally, diffusion modeling show that 40Ar/39Ar of pyroxene can be used as a powerful tool to date the formation age of mafic

Variation of illite/muscovite 40Ar/39Ar age spectra during progressive low-grade metamorphism: an example from the US Cordillera

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Verdel, Charles; van der Pluijm, Ben A.; Niemi, Nathan

2012-09-01

40Ar/39Ar step-heating data were collected from micron to submicron grain-sizes of correlative illite- and muscovite-rich Cambrian pelitic rocks from the western United States that range in metamorphic grade from the shallow diagenetic zone (zeolite facies) to the epizone (greenschist facies). With increasing metamorphic grade, maximum ages from 40Ar/39Ar release spectra decrease, as do total gas ages and retention ages. Previous studies have explained similar results as arising dominantly or entirely from the dissolution of detrital muscovite and precipitation/recrystallization of neo-formed illite. While recognizing the importance of these processes in evaluating our results, we suggest that the inverse correlation between apparent age and metamorphic grade is controlled, primarily, by thermally activated volume diffusion, analogous to the decrease in apparent ages with depth observed for many thermochronometers in borehole experiments. Our results suggest that complete resetting of the illite/muscovite Ar thermochronometer occurs between the high anchizone and epizone, or at roughly 300 °C. This empirical result is in agreement with previous calculations based on muscovite diffusion parameters, which indicate that muscovite grains with radii of 0.05-2 μm should have closure temperatures between 250 and 350 °C. At high anchizone conditions, we observe a reversal in the age/grain-size relationship (the finest grain-size produces the oldest apparent age), which may mark the stage in prograde subgreenschist facies metamorphism of pelitic rocks at which neo-formed illite/muscovite crystallites typically surpass the size of detrital muscovite grains. It is also approximately the stage at which neo-formed illite/muscovite crystallites develop sufficient Ar retentivity to produce geologically meaningful 40Ar/39Ar ages. Results from our sampling transect of Cambrian strata establish a framework for interpreting illite/muscovite 40Ar/39Ar age spectra at different

DNA sequence analysis of ARS elements from chromosome III of Saccharomyces cerevisiae: identification of a new conserved sequence.

PubMed Central

Palzkill, T G; Oliver, S G; Newlon, C S

1986-01-01

Four fragments of Saccharomyces cerevisiae chromosome III DNA which carry ARS elements have been sequenced. Each fragment contains multiple copies of sequences that have at least 10 out of 11 bases of homology to a previously reported 11 bp core consensus sequence. A survey of these new ARS sequences and previously reported sequences revealed the presence of an additional 11 bp conserved element located on the 3' side of the T-rich strand of the core consensus. Subcloning analysis as well as deletion and transposon insertion mutagenesis of ARS fragments support a role for 3' conserved sequence in promoting ARS activity. PMID:3529036

Delimiting Allelic Imbalance of TYMS by Allele-Specific Analysis.

PubMed

Balboa-Beltrán, Emilia; Cruz, Raquel; Carracedo, Angel; Barros, Francisco

2015-07-01

Allelic imbalance of thymidylate synthase (TYMS) is attributed to polymorphisms in the 5'- and 3'-untranslated region (UTR). These polymorphisms have been related to the risk of suffering different cancers, for example leukemia, breast or gastric cancer, and response to different drugs, among which are methotrexate glutamates, stavudine, and specifically 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), as TYMS is its direct target. A vast literature has been published in relation to 5-FU, even suggesting the sole use of these polymorphisms to effectively manage 5-FU dosage. Estimates of the extent to which these polymorphisms influence in TYMS expression have in the past been based on functional analysis by luciferase assays and quantification of TYMS mRNA, but both these studies, as the association studies with cancer risk or with toxicity or response to 5-FU, are very contradictory. Regarding functional assays, the artificial genetic environment created in luciferase assay and the problems derived from quantitative polymerase chain reactions (qPCRs), for example the use of a reference gene, may have distorted the results. To avoid these sources of interference, we have analyzed the allelic imbalance of TYMS by allelic-specific analysis in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from patients.Allelic imbalance in PBMCs, taken from 40 patients with suspected myeloproliferative haematological diseases, was determined by fluorescent fragment analysis (for the 3'-UTR polymorphism), Sanger sequencing and allelic-specific qPCR in multiplex (for the 5'-UTR polymorphisms).For neither the 3'- nor the 5'-UTR polymorphisms did the observed allelic imbalance exceed 1.5 fold. None of the TYMS polymorphisms is statistically associated with allelic imbalance.The results acquired allow us to deny the previously established assertion of an influence of 2 to 4 fold of the rs45445694 and rs2853542 polymorphisms in the expression of TYMS and narrow its allelic imbalance to 1.5 fold, in our population

Addition of ArSSAr to dienes via intramolecular C-C bond formation initiated by a catalytic amount of ArS+.

PubMed

Matsumoto, Kouichi; Fujie, Shunsuke; Suga, Seiji; Nokami, Toshiki; Yoshida, Jun-ichi

2009-09-28

A catalytic amount of electrochemically generated "ArS+" ("ArS+" = ArS(ArSSAr)+) initiates a cation chain reaction of dienes that involves the addition of ArSSAr associated with stereoselective intramolecular carbon-carbon bond formation, and the direct (in-cell) electrolysis of a mixture of a diene and ArSSAr with a catalytic amount of electricity also effectively initiates the reaction.

40Ar-39Ar dating of Archean iron oxide Cu-Au and Paleoproterozoic granite-related Cu-Au deposits in the Carajás Mineral Province, Brazil: implications for genetic models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pollard, Peter J.; Taylor, Roger G.; Peters, Lisa; Matos, Fernando; Freitas, Cantidiano; Saboia, Lineu; Huhn, Sergio

2018-05-01

40Ar-39Ar dating of biotite from IOCG and granite-related Cu-Au deposits in the Carajás Mineral Province provides evidence for the timing of mineralization and constraints on genetic models of ore formation. Ages of biotite from greisen and quartz-rich vein and breccia deposits, Alvo 118—1885 ± 4 Ma, Breves—1886 ± 5 Ma, Estrela—1896 ± 7 Ma, and Gameleira—1908 ± 7 Ma, demonstrate the close temporal relationship between Cu-Au mineralization and subjacent A-type granites. Mineralization is hosted within granite cupolas (Breves) or in vein/breccia systems emanating from the cupolas (Estrela and Gameleira), consistent with a genetic relationship of mineralization to the B-Li-F-rich granites. Plateau and minimum ages of biotite from IOCG deposits, including Igarapé Bahia, Cristalino, Corta Goela, and GT34, range from 2537 ± 6 Ma to 2193 ± 4 Ma. The 40Ar-39Ar age of biotite from Igarapé Bahia (2537 ± 6 Ma) is similar to a previous SHRIMP 207Pb-206Pb age for monazite of 2575 ± 12 Ma when the uncertainties in the respective analyses and standards are taken into account. The age spectrum for biotite from Cristalino shows increasing ages for successive steps, consistent with post-crystallization Ar loss, and the age of 2388 ± 5 Ma for the last three steps is considered a minimum age for Cu-Au mineralization. The age of biotite from the GT34 prospect (2512 ± 7 Ma) coincides with a previously identified period of basement reactivation and may indicate the formation of Cu-Au mineralization at this time or resetting of biotite from an older mineralization event at this time. At Corta Goela, within the Canaã Shear Zone, the biotite age of 2193 ± 4 Ma lies between the ages of IOCG (2.57-2.76 Ga) and granite-related Cu-Au ( 1.88 Ga) deposits elsewhere in the Carajás district but is similar to previously reported 40Ar-39Ar ages for amphibole from Sossego, possibly indicating that mineralization at both Sossego and Corta Goela was affected by a thermal event at

Transfusion strategy for weak D type 4.0 based on RHD alleles and RH haplotypes in Tunisia

PubMed Central

Ouchari, Mouna; Srivastava, Kshitij; Romdhane, Houda; Yacoub, Saloua Jemni; Flegel, Willy Albert

2017-01-01

Background With more than 460 RHD alleles, this gene is the most complex and polymorphic among all blood group systems. The Tunisian population has the largest known prevalence of weak D type 4.0 alleles, occurring in 1 of 105 RH haplotypes. We aimed to establish a rationale for the transfusion strategy of weak D type 4.0 in Tunisia. Study design and methods Donors were randomly screened for the serological weak D phenotype. The RHD coding sequence and parts of the introns were sequenced. To establish the RH haplotype, the RHCE gene was tested for characteristic single nucleotide positions. Results We determined all RHD alleles and the RH haplotypes coding for the serologic weak D phenotype among 13,431 Tunisian donations. A serologic weak D phenotype was found in 67 individuals (0.50%). Among them, 60 carried a weak D type 4 allele: 53 weak D type 4.0, 6 weak D type 4.2.2 (DAR), and 1 weak D type 4.1. Another 4 donors had 1 variant allele each: DVII, weak D type 1, weak D type 3, and weak D type 100, while 3 donors showed a normal RHD sequence. The weak D type 4.0 was most often linked to RHCE*ceVS.04.01, weak D type 4.2.2 to RHCE*ceAR, and weak D type 4.1 to RHCE*ceVS.02, while the other RHD alleles were linked to one of the common RHCE alleles. Conclusions Among the weak D phenotypes in Tunisia, no novel RHD allele was found and almost 90% were caused by alleles of the weak D type 4 cluster, of which 88% represented the weak D type 4.0 allele. Based on established RH haplotypes for variant RHD and RHCE alleles and the lack of adverse clinical reports, we recommend D positive transfusions for patients with weak D type 4.0 in Tunisia. PMID:29193104

Transfusion strategy for weak D Type 4.0 based on RHD alleles and RH haplotypes in Tunisia.

PubMed

Ouchari, Mouna; Srivastava, Kshitij; Romdhane, Houda; Jemni Yacoub, Saloua; Flegel, Willy Albert

2018-02-01

With more than 460 RHD alleles, this gene is the most complex and polymorphic among all blood group systems. The Tunisian population has the largest known prevalence of weak D Type 4.0 alleles, occurring in one of 105 RH haplotypes. We aimed to establish a rationale for the transfusion strategy of weak D Type 4.0 in Tunisia. Donors were randomly screened for the serologic weak D phenotype. The RHD coding sequence and parts of the introns were sequenced. To establish the RH haplotype, the RHCE gene was tested for characteristic single-nucleotide positions. We determined all RHD alleles and the RH haplotypes coding for the serologic weak D phenotype among 13,431 Tunisian donations. A serologic weak D phenotype was found in 67 individuals (0.50%). Among them, 60 carried a weak D Type 4 allele: 53 weak D Type 4.0, six weak D Type 4.2.2 (DAR), and one weak D Type 4.1. An additional four donors had one variant allele each: DVII, weak D Type 1, weak D Type 3, and weak D type 100, while three donors showed a normal RHD sequence. The weak D Type 4.0 was most often linked to RHCE*ceVS.04.01, weak D Type 4.2.2 to RHCE*ceAR, and weak D Type 4.1 to RHCE*ceVS.02, while the other RHD alleles were linked to one of the common RHCE alleles. Among the weak D phenotypes in Tunisia, no novel RHD allele was found and almost 90% were caused by alleles of the weak D Type 4 cluster, of which 88% represented the weak D Type 4.0 allele. Based on established RH haplotypes for variant RHD and RHCE alleles and the lack of adverse clinical reports, we recommend D+ transfusions for patients with weak D Type 4.0 in Tunisia. © 2017 AABB.

Ar-40/Ar-39 age determinations for the Rotoiti eruption, New Zealand

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Flude, S.; Storey, M.

2013-12-01

The contemporaneous Rotoiti and Earthquake Flat ignimbrites, erupted from the Taupo Volcanic zone, New Zealand, form a distinctive tephrostratigraphic horizon in the Southern Pacific. Radioisotopic dating results for these eruptions remain controversial, with published ages ranging from 35.1 × 2.8 ka [1] to 71 × 6 ka [2], with 61.0 × 1.5 ka [3] often being cited as the most widely accepted age. These eruptions are difficult to date as their age is near the limit for various radiometric dating techniques, which are complicated by a large proportion of inherited material (xenocrysts) and a lack of phases suitable for dating. Glass-bearing plutonic blocks erupted with the Rotoiti and Earthquake Flat ignimbrites have previously been interpreted as deriving from a slowly cooled and incompletely solidified magma body that was sampled by the eruptions. They contain large vugs lined with euhedral quartz, sanidine and biotite crystals, indicating that these crystals grew in a gas or aqueous fluid rich environment and are interpreted to have formed shortly before or during eruption. Here we will present Ar-40/Ar-39 ages for sanidines and biotites extracted from vugs in lithic blocks erupted as part of the Earthquake Flat ignimbrite. We show that, even for vug-lining material, inherited ages remain a problem and are the likely source of the wide variation in published radiometric ages. Nevertheless, many of the Ar-40/Ar-39 ages are much younger than the 61 ka age [3] and are more consistent with the recent stratigraphic, C-14 and U-238/Th-230+(U-Th)/He ages that have been suggested (e.g. [4,5]). 1. Whitehead, N. & Ditchburn, R. New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics 37, 381-383 (1994). 2. Ota, Y., Omura, A. & Iwata, H. New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics 32, 327-331 (1989). 3. Wilson, C. J. N. et al. Quaternary Science Reviews 26, 1861-1870 (2007). 4. Molloy, C., Shane, P. & Augustinus, P. Geological Society of America Bulletin 121, 1666-1677 (2009). 5

β-3AR W64R Polymorphism and 30-Minute Post-Challenge Plasma Glucose Levels in Obese Children

PubMed Central

Verdi, Hasibe; Tulgar Kınık, Sibel; Yılmaz Yalçın, Yaprak; Muratoğlu Şahin, Nursel; Yazıcı, Ayşe Canan; Ataç, F. Belgin

2015-01-01

Objective: In this study, we aimed to investigate the association of W64R polymorphism of the β3-adrenergic receptor gene (β-3AR) with childhood obesity and related pathologies. Methods: β-3AR gene W64R genotyping was carried out in 251 children aged 6-18 years. Of these subjects, 130 were obese (62 boys) and 121 were normal-weight (53 boys). In the obese group, fasting lipids, glucose and insulin levels were measured. Oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was performed in 75 of the obese patients. Results: The frequency of W64R genotype was similar in obese and non-obese children. In obese children, relative body mass index, waist-to-hip ratio, serum lipid, glucose and insulin levels, as well as homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) scores were not different between Arg allele carriers (W64R and R64R) and noncarriers (W64W). In 75 obese children, OGTT results showed that Arg allele carriers had significantly higher 30-minute glucose levels (p=0.027). Conclusion: W64R polymorphism of the β-3AR gene is not associated with obesity and waist-to-hip ratio in Turkish children. Although there were no relationships between the genotypes and lipid, glucose/insulin levels or HOMA-IR, the presence of W64R variant seemed to have an unfavorable influence on early glucose excursion after glucose loading. PMID:25800470

The effect of SEM imaging on the Ar/Ar system in feldspars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Flude, S.; Sherlock, S.; Lee, M.; Kelley, S. P.

2010-12-01

Complex microtextures form in K-feldspar crystals as they cool and are affected by deuteric alteration. This complex structure is the cause of variable closure temperatures for Ar-Ar, a phenomenon which has been utilized in multi domain diffusion (MDD) modelling to recover thermal histories [1]. However, there has been substantial controversy regarding the precise interaction between feldspar microtextures and Ar-diffusion [2,3]. A number of studies have addressed this issue using coupled SEM imaging and Ar/Ar UV laser ablation microprobe (UV-LAMP) analysis on the same sample, to enable direct comparison of microtextures with Ar/Ar age data [4]. Here we have tested the idea that SEM work may affect Ar/Ar ages, leading to inaccurate results in subsequent Ar/Ar analyses. Three splits of alkali feldspar from the Dartmoor Granite in SW England were selected for Ar/Ar UV-LAMP analysis. Split 1 (“control”) was prepared as a polished thick section for Ar/Ar analysis. Split 2 (“SEM”) was prepared as a polished thick section, was chemically-mechanically polished with colloidal silica and underwent SEM imaging (uncoated) and focussed ion beam (FIB) milling (gold coated); electron beam damage in the SEM was maximised by leaving the sample at high magnification for eight minutes. Split 3 (“Etch”) is a cleavage fragment that was etched with HF vapour and underwent low to moderate magnification SEM imaging. The control split gave a range of laser-spot ages consistent with the expected cooling age of the granite and high yields of radiogenic 40Ar* (>90%). The area of the “SEM” split that experienced significant electron beam damage gave younger than expected ages and 40Ar* yields as low as 57%. These are interpreted as a combination of implantation of atmospheric Ar and local redistribution of K within the sample. The area of “SEM” that underwent FIB milling gave ages and 40Ar* yields comparable to the control split, suggesting that the Au-coat minimises FIB

Extensive diversity in the allelic frequency of Plasmodium falciparum merozoite surface proteins and glutamate-rich protein in rural and urban settings of southwestern Nigeria.

PubMed

Funwei, Roland I; Thomas, Bolaji N; Falade, Catherine O; Ojurongbe, Olusola

2018-01-02

Nigeria carries a high burden of malaria which makes continuous surveillance for current information on genetic diversity imperative. In this study, the merozoite surface proteins (msp-1, msp-2) and glutamate-rich protein (glurp) of Plasmodium falciparum collected from two communities representing rural and urban settings in Ibadan, southwestern Nigeria were analysed. A total of 511 febrile children, aged 3-59 months, whose parents/guardians provided informed consent, were recruited into the study. Capillary blood was obtained for malaria rapid diagnostic test, thick blood smears for parasite count and blood spots on filter paper for molecular analysis. Three-hundred and nine samples were successfully genotyped for msp-1, msp-2 and glurp genes. The allelic distribution of the three genes was not significantly different in the rural and urban communities. R033 and 3D7 were the most prevalent alleles in both rural and urban communities for msp-1 and msp-2, respectively. Eleven of glurp RII region genotypes, coded I-XII, with sizes ranging from 500 to 1100 base pairs were detected in the rural setting. Genotype XI (1000-1050 bp) had the highest prevalence of 41.5 and 38.5% in rural and urban settings, respectively. Overall, 82.1 and 70.0% of samples had multiclonal infection with msp-1 gene resulting in a mean multiplicity of infection (MOI) of 2.8 and 2.6 for rural and urban samples, respectively. Msp-1 and msp-2 genes displayed higher levels of diversity and higher MOI rates than the glurp gene. Significant genetic diversity was observed between rural and urban parasite populations in Ibadan, southwestern Nigeria. The results of this study show that malaria transmission intensity in these regions is still high. No significant difference was observed between rural and urban settings, except for a completely different msp-1 allele, compared to previous reports, thereby confirming the changing face of malaria transmission in these communities. This study provides

Susceptibility to Dental Caries and the Salivary Proline-Rich Proteins

PubMed Central

Levine, Martin

2011-01-01

Early childhood caries affects 28% of children aged 2–6 in the US and is not decreasing. There is a well-recognized need to identify susceptible children at birth. Caries-free adults neutralize bacterial acids in dental biofilms better than adults with severe caries. Saliva contains acidic and basic proline-rich proteins (PRPs) which attach to oral streptococci. The PRPs are encoded within a small region of chromosome 12. An acidic PRP allele (Db) protects Caucasian children from caries but is more common in African Americans. Some basic PRP allelic phenotypes have a three-fold greater frequency in caries-free adults than in those with severe caries. Early childhood caries may associate with an absence of certain basic PRP alleles which bind oral streptococci, neutralize biofilm acids, and are in linkage disequilibrium with Db in Caucasians. The encoding of basic PRP alleles is updated and a new technology for genotyping them is described. PMID:22190937

Selective dry etching of III-V nitrides in Cl{sub 2}/Ar, CH{sub 4}/H{sub 2}/Ar, ICi/Ar, and IBr/Ar

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Vartuli, C.B.; Pearton, S.J.; MacKenzie, J.D.

1996-10-01

The selectivity for etching the binary (GaN, AlN, and InN) and ternary nitrides (InGaN and InAlN) relative to each other in Cl{sub 2}/Ar, CH{sub 4}/H{sub 2}/Ar, ICl/Ar, or IBr/Ar electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) plasmas, and Cl{sub 2}/Ar or CH{sub 4}/H{sub 2}/Ar reactive ion (RIE) plasmas was investigated. Cl-based etches appear to be the best choice for maximizing the selectivity of GaN over the other nitrides. GaN/AlN and GaN/InGaN etch rate ratios of {approximately} 10 were achieved at low RF power in Cl{sub 2}/Ar under ECR and RIE conditions, respectively. GaN/InN selectivity of 10 was found in ICl under ECR conditions.more » A relatively high selectivity (> 6) of InN/GaN was achieved in CH{sub 4}/H{sub 2}/Ar under ECR conditions at low RF powers (50 W). Since the high bond strengths of the nitrides require either high ion energies or densities to achieve practical etch rates it is difficult to achieve high selectivities.« less

A Common Allele in FGF21 Associated with Sugar Intake Is Associated with Body Shape, Lower Total Body-Fat Percentage, and Higher Blood Pressure.

PubMed

Frayling, Timothy M; Beaumont, Robin N; Jones, Samuel E; Yaghootkar, Hanieh; Tuke, Marcus A; Ruth, Katherine S; Casanova, Francesco; West, Ben; Locke, Jonathan; Sharp, Seth; Ji, Yingjie; Thompson, William; Harrison, Jamie; Etheridge, Amy S; Gallins, Paul J; Jima, Dereje; Wright, Fred; Zhou, Yihui; Innocenti, Federico; Lindgren, Cecilia M; Grarup, Niels; Murray, Anna; Freathy, Rachel M; Weedon, Michael N; Tyrrell, Jessica; Wood, Andrew R

2018-04-10

Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) is a hormone that has insulin-sensitizing properties. Some trials of FGF21 analogs show weight loss and lipid-lowering effects. Recent studies have shown that a common allele in the FGF21 gene alters the balance of macronutrients consumed, but there was little evidence of an effect on metabolic traits. We studied a common FGF21 allele (A:rs838133) in 451,099 people from the UK Biobank study, aiming to use the human allele to inform potential adverse and beneficial effects of targeting FGF21. We replicated the association between the A allele and higher percentage carbohydrate intake. We then showed that this allele is more strongly associated with higher blood pressure and waist-hip ratio, despite an association with lower total body-fat percentage, than it is with BMI or type 2 diabetes. These human phenotypes of variation in the FGF21 gene will inform research into FGF21's mechanisms and therapeutic potential. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Instrumentation development for In Situ 40Ar/39Ar planetary geochronology

USGS Publications Warehouse

Morgan, Leah; Munk, Madicken; Davidheiser-Kroll, Brett; Warner, Nicholas H.; Gupta, Sanjeev; Slaybaugh, Rachel; Harkness, Patrick; Mark, Darren

2017-01-01

The chronology of the Solar System, particularly the timing of formation of extra-terrestrial bodies and their features, is an outstanding problem in planetary science. Although various chronological methods for in situ geochronology have been proposed (e.g., Rb-Sr, K-Ar), and even applied (K-Ar), the reliability, accuracy, and applicability of the 40Ar/39Ar method makes it by far the most desirable chronometer for dating extra-terrestrial bodies. The method however relies on the neutron irradiation of samples, and thus a neutron source. Herein, we discuss the challenges and feasibility of deploying a passive neutron source to planetary surfaces for the in situ application of the 40Ar/39Ar chronometer. Requirements in generating and shielding neutrons, as well as analysing samples are described, along with an exploration of limitations such as mass, power and cost. Two potential solutions for the in situ extra-terrestrial deployment of the 40Ar/39Ar method are presented. Although this represents a challenging task, developing the technology to apply the 40Ar/39Ar method on planetary surfaces would represent a major advance towards constraining the timescale of solar system formation and evolution.

Pyramiding of transgenic Pm3 alleles in wheat results in improved powdery mildew resistance in the field.

PubMed

Koller, Teresa; Brunner, Susanne; Herren, Gerhard; Hurni, Severine; Keller, Beat

2018-04-01

The combined effects of enhanced total transgene expression level and allele-specificity combination in transgenic allele-pyramided Pm3 wheat lines result in improved powdery mildew field resistance without negative pleiotropic effects. Allelic Pm3 resistance genes of wheat confer race-specific resistance to powdery mildew (Blumeria graminis f. sp. tritici, Bgt) and encode nucleotide-binding domain, leucine-rich repeat (NLR) receptors. Transgenic wheat lines overexpressing alleles Pm3a, b, c, d, f, and g have previously been generated by transformation of cultivar Bobwhite and tested in field trials, revealing varying degrees of powdery mildew resistance conferred by the transgenes. Here, we tested four transgenic lines each carrying two pyramided Pm3 alleles, which were generated by crossbreeding of lines transformed with single Pm3 alleles. All four allele-pyramided lines showed strongly improved powdery mildew resistance in the field compared to their parental lines. The improved resistance results from the two effects of enhanced total transgene expression levels and allele-specificity combinations. In contrast to leaf segment tests on greenhouse-grown seedlings, no allelic suppression was observed in the field. Plant development and yield scores of the pyramided lines were similar to the mean scores of the corresponding parental lines, and thus, the allele pyramiding did not cause any negative effects. On the contrary, in pyramided line, Pm3b × Pm3f normal plant development was restored compared to the delayed development and reduced seed set of parental line Pm3f. Allele-specific RT qPCR revealed additive transgene expression levels of the two Pm3 alleles in the pyramided lines. A positive correlation between total transgene expression level and powdery mildew field resistance was observed. In summary, allele pyramiding of Pm3 transgenes proved to be successful in enhancing powdery mildew field resistance.

Early Thermal History of Eucrites by Ar-39-Ar-40

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bogard, D. D.; Garrison, D. H.

2001-01-01

Ar-39-Ar-40 ages for Piplia Kalan (3.58 +/- 0.02 Ga) and two other eucrites indicate later impact resetting. Older Ar-39-Ar-40 ages exist for the Moama cumulate eucrite (4.42 +/- 0.01 Ga) and the PCA82502 (4.506 +/- 0.009 Ga) and PCA91007 non-brecciated eucrites. Additional information is contained in the original extended abstract.

Revised error propagation of 40Ar/39Ar data, including covariances

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vermeesch, Pieter

2015-12-01

The main advantage of the 40Ar/39Ar method over conventional K-Ar dating is that it does not depend on any absolute abundance or concentration measurements, but only uses the relative ratios between five isotopes of the same element -argon- which can be measured with great precision on a noble gas mass spectrometer. The relative abundances of the argon isotopes are subject to a constant sum constraint, which imposes a covariant structure on the data: the relative amount of any of the five isotopes can always be obtained from that of the other four. Thus, the 40Ar/39Ar method is a classic example of a 'compositional data problem'. In addition to the constant sum constraint, covariances are introduced by a host of other processes, including data acquisition, blank correction, detector calibration, mass fractionation, decay correction, interference correction, atmospheric argon correction, interpolation of the irradiation parameter, and age calculation. The myriad of correlated errors arising during the data reduction are best handled by casting the 40Ar/39Ar data reduction protocol in a matrix form. The completely revised workflow presented in this paper is implemented in a new software platform, Ar-Ar_Redux, which takes raw mass spectrometer data as input and generates accurate 40Ar/39Ar ages and their (co-)variances as output. Ar-Ar_Redux accounts for all sources of analytical uncertainty, including those associated with decay constants and the air ratio. Knowing the covariance matrix of the ages removes the need to consider 'internal' and 'external' uncertainties separately when calculating (weighted) mean ages. Ar-Ar_Redux is built on the same principles as its sibling program in the U-Pb community (U-Pb_Redux), thus improving the intercomparability of the two methods with tangible benefits to the accuracy of the geologic time scale. The program can be downloaded free of charge from http://redux.london-geochron.com.

Synthesis and reactivity of dimeric Ar'TlTlAr' and trimeric (Ar"T1)3 (Ar', Ar" = bulky terphenyl group) thallium(I) derivatives: Tl(I)-Tl(I) bonding in species ligated by monodentate ligands.

PubMed

Wright, Robert J; Phillips, Andrew D; Hino, Shirley; Power, Philip P

2005-04-06

The synthesis and characterization of three new organothallium(I) compounds are reported. Reaction of (Ar'Li)(2) (Ar' = C(6)H(3)-2,6-(C(6)H(3)-2,6-Pr(i)(2))(2)) and Ar"Li (Ar" = C(6)H(3)-2,6-(C(6)H(3)-2,6-Me(2))(2)) with TlCl in Et(2)O afforded (Ar'Tl)(2) (1) and (Ar' 'Tl)(3) (2). The "dithallene" 1 is the heaviest group 13 dimetallene and features a planar, trans-bent structure with Ar'Tl-Tl = 119.74(14) degrees and Tl-Tl = 3.0936(8) A. Compound 2 is the first structurally characterized neutral, three-membered ring species of formula c-(MR)(3) (M = Al-Tl; R = organo group). The Tl(3) ring has Tl-Tl distances in the range ca. 3.21-3.37 A as well as pyramidal Tl geometries. The Tl-Tl bonds in 1 and 2 are outside the range (2.88-2.97 A) of Tl-Tl single bonds in R(2)TlTlR(2) compounds. The weak Tl-Tl bonding in 1 and 2 leads to their dissociation into Ar'Tl and Ar' 'Tl monomers in hexane. The Ar'Tl monomer behaves as a Lewis base and readily forms a 1:1 donor-acceptor complex with B(C(6)F(5))(3) to give Ar'TlB(C(6)F(5))(3), 3. Adduct 3 features an almost linear thallium C(ipso)-Tl-B angle of 174.358(7) degrees and a Tl-B distance of 2.311(2) A, which indicates strong association. Treatment of 1 with a variety of reagents resulted in no reactions. The lower reactivity of 1 is in accord with the reluctance of Tl(I) to undergo oxidation to Tl(III) due to the unreactive character of the 6s(2) electrons.

40Ar/ 39Ar age and oxygen isotope temperature of the Centinela Formation, southwestern Argentina: An Eocene age for crustacean-rich "Patagonian" beds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Casadío, Silvio; Feldmann, Rodney M.; Foland, Kenneth A.

2000-05-01

The presence of a prominent volcanic ash enclosed within sediments of the Centinela Formation, southwestern Argentina, permits establishment of an 40Ar/ 39Ar age of approximately 46 Ma for these rocks. Oxygen isotopic analysis of shell material from the oyster Crassostrea? hatcheriOrtmann, 1897, suggests seasonal fluctuation of temperature from about 15°C to about 21°C. In concordance with this, a diverse crustacean fauna, including nine families within the order Decapoda and one within Isopoda, bears strong affinities with temperate and subtropical faunas of the Atlantic Ocean basin and documents the southernmost extension of low latitude oceanographic influence on this region during the Paleogene. Establishment of an Eocene age for the rocks in the Centinela Formation provides the first definitive documentation of rocks of that age in the region of Calafate, permits correlation of these rocks with Eocene strata southward to the vicinity of Río Turbio, and suggests that these rocks, assigned to the Patagonian sequence, may be substantially older than those in eastern Argentina.

Excess Ar-40 in the Zagami Shergottite: Does It Reveal Crystallization History?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bogard, Donald D.; Park, Jisun

2007-01-01

The Zagami basaltic shergottite has fine- and coarse-grained (FG & CG) areas, which may reflect partial crystallization in a deep, slowly cooled magma chamber to form Mg-rich pyroxene cores, followed by entrainment of these crystals into a magma that rose and crystallized near the surface. Late-stage melt pockets formed mesostasis and feldspar (maskelynite) having a range of compositions, but low water abundance. Higher I(sub Sr) in the FG portion may result from the second stage having incorporated old crustal rocks that failed to reach isotopic equilibrium. Zagami, like other shergottites, contains excess Ar-40(sub xs) beyond that expected from internal decay of K-40 during its Sm-Nd age of 177 Myr. We suggest that at least a portion of this Ar-40(sub xs) in Zagami and some other shergottites was inherited from the magma, much as is the case of MORBs on Earth. We made Ar-39-Ar-40 age determinations on feldspar and pyroxene separates from both the FG and CG portions of Zagami. If Zagami experienced an evolving fractional crystallization history, including possible crustal contamination of the magma, that might be indicated in differing amounts of Ar-40(sub xs) between mineral phases and between FG and CG portions.

The 40Ar/39Ar dating technique applied to planetary sciences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jourdan, F.

2012-12-01

The 40Ar/39Ar technique is a powerful geochronological method that can help to unravel the evolution of the solar system. The 40Ar/39Ar system can not only record the timing of volcanic and metamorphic processes on asteroids and planets, it finds domain of predilection in dating impact events throughout the solar system. However, the 40Ar/39Ar method is a robust analytical technique if, and only if, the events to be dated are well understood and data are not over interpreted. Yet, too many 'ages' reported in the literature are still based on over-interpretation of perturbed age spectra which tends to blur the big picture. This presentation is centred on the most recent applications of the 40Ar/39Ar technique applied to planetary material and through several examples, will attempt to demonstrate the benefit of focusing on statistically robust data. For example, 40Ar/39Ar dating of volcanic events on the Moon suggests that volcanism was mostly concentrated between ca. 3.8 and 3.1 Ga but statistical filtering of the data allow identifying a few well-defined eruptive events. The study of lunar volcanism would also benefit from dating of volcanic spherules. Rigorous filtering of the 40Ar/39Ar age database of lunar melt breccias yielded concordant and ages with high precision for two major basins (i.e. Imbrium & Serenitatis) of the Moon. 40Ar/39Ar dating of lunar impact spherules recovered from four different sites and with high- and low-K compositions shows an increase of ages younger than 400 Ma suggesting a recent increase in the impact flux. The impact history of the LL parent body (bodies?) has yet to be well constrained but may mimic the LHB observed on the Moon, which would indicate that the LL parent body was quite large. 40Ar/39Ar dating (in progress) of grains from the asteroid Itokawa recovered by the japanese Hayabusa mission have the potential to constrain the formation history and exposure age of Itokawa and will allow us to compare the results with the

Baicalein suppresses the androgen receptor (AR)-mediated prostate cancer progression via inhibiting the AR N-C dimerization and AR-coactivators interaction.

PubMed

Xu, Defeng; Chen, Qiulu; Liu, Yalin; Wen, Xingqiao

2017-12-01

Androgen receptor (AR) plays a critical role in prostate cancer (PCa) development and progression. Androgen deprivation therapy with antiandrogens to reduce androgen biosynthesis or prevent androgens from binding to AR are widely used to suppress AR-mediated PCa growth. However, most of ADT may eventually fail with development of the castration resistance after 12-24 months. Here we found that a natural product baicalein can effectively suppress the PCa progression via targeting the androgen-induced AR transactivation with little effect to AR protein expression. PCa cells including LNCaP, CWR22Rv1, C4-2, PC-3, and DU145, were treated with baicalein and luciferase assay was used to evaluate their effect on the AR transactivation. Cell growth and IC 50 were determined by MTT assay after 48 hrs treatment. RT-PCR was used to evaluate the mRNA levels of AR target genes including PSA, TMPRSS2, and TMEPA1. Western blot was used to determine AR and PSA protein expression. The natural product of baicalein can selectively inhibit AR transactivation with little effect on the other nuclear receptors, including ERα, and GR. At a low concentration, 2.5 μM of baicalein effectively suppresses the growth of AR-positive PCa cells, and has little effect on AR-negative PCa cells. Mechanism dissection suggest that baicalein can suppress AR target genes (PSA, TMPRSS2, and TMEPA1) expression in both androgen responsive LNCaP cells and castration resistant CWR22Rv1 cells, that may involve the inhibiting the AR N/C dimerization and AR-coactivators interaction. Baicalein may be developed as an effective anti-AR therapy via its ability to inhibit AR transactivation and AR-mediated PCa cell growth.

K-Ar age constrains on chemically weathered granitic basement rocks (saprolites) in Scandinavia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Margreth, Annina; Fredin, Ola; Viola, Giulio; Knies, Jochen; Sørlie, Ronald; Lie, Jan-Erik; Margrethe Grandal, Else; Zwingmann, Horst; Vogt, Christoph

2017-04-01

Remnants of in-situ weathered bedrock, saprolite, are found in several locations in Scandinavia. Saprolites contain important information about past climate conditions and landscape evolution, although their age and genesis are commonly difficult to constrain. It is generally thought that clay-poor, coarse-grained (arêne) saprolites, mostly occurring as thin regolith blankets or in larger outcrops, formed in temperate climate during the Cenozoic, whereas clay-rich (argillic) saprolites, commonly restricted to small, fracture-bounded outcrops, formed in (sub-)tropical climate during the Mesozoic. Recent methodological and conceptual advances in K-Ar dating of illite-bearing fault rocks have been applied to date clay-rich saprolites. To test the K-Ar dating technique for saprolites, we first selected an offshore site in the Viking Graben of the North Sea, where weathered and fractured granitic basement highs have been drilled during petroleum exploration, and an abandoned kaolin mine in Southern Sweden. Both targets provide independent age control through the presence of overlying Mesozoic sedimentary rocks. Clay-rich saprolites occurring in fractured basement rocks were additionally sampled in a joint valley landscape on the southwestern coast of Norway, which can be regarded as the possible onland correlative to the offshore basement high. In order to offer a sound interpretation of the obtained K-Ar ages, the mineralogical and chemical composition of the saprolites requires a thorough characterization. Scanning electron microscopy of thin sections, integrated by XRD and XRF analysis, reveals the progressive transformation of primary granitic rock minerals into secondary clay minerals. The authigenesis of illite is particularly important to understand, since it is the only K-bearing clay mineral that can be dated by the K-Ar method. K-feldspars and mica are the common primary K-bearing minerals, from which illite can be formed. While progressive leaching of

Identification of the third/extra allele for forensic application in cases with TPOX tri-allelic pattern.

PubMed

Picanço, Juliane Bentes; Raimann, Paulo Eduardo; Motta, Carlos Henrique Ares Silveira da; Rodenbusch, Rodrigo; Gusmão, Leonor; Alho, Clarice Sampaio

2015-05-01

Genotyping of polymorphic short tandem repeats (STRs) loci is widely used in forensic DNA analysis. STR loci eventually present tri-allelic pattern as a genotyping irregularity and, in that situation, the doubt about the tri-allele locus frequency calculation can reduce the analysis strength. In the TPOX human STR locus, tri-allelic genotypes have been reported with a widely varied frequency among human populations. We investigate whether there is a single extra allele (the third allele) in the TPOX tri-allelic pattern, what it is, and where it is, aiming to understand its genomic anatomy and to propose the knowledge of this TPOX extra allele from genetic profile, thus preserving the two standard TPOX alleles in forensic analyses. We looked for TPOX tri-allelic subjects in 75,113 Brazilian families. Considering only the parental generation (mother+father) we had 150,226 unrelated subjects evaluated. From this total, we found 88 unrelated subjects with tri-allelic pattern in the TPOX locus (0.06%; 88/150,226). Seventy three of these 88 subjects (73/88; 83%) had the Clayton's original Type 2 tri-allelic pattern (three peaks of even intensity). The remaining 17% (15/88) show a new Type 2 derived category with heterozygote peak imbalance (one double dose peak plus one regular sized peak). In this paper we present detailed data from 66 trios (mother+father+child) with true biological relationships. In 39 of these families (39/66; 59%) the extra TPOX allele was transmitted either from the mother or from the father to the child. Evidences indicated the allele 10 as the extra TPOX allele, and it is on the X chromosome. The present data, which support the previous Lane hypothesis, improve the knowledge about tri-allelic pattern of TPOX CODIS' locus allowing the use of TPOX profile in forensic analyses even when with tri-allelic pattern. This evaluation is now available for different forensic applications. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

40Ar/39Ar Ages of Carbonaceous Xenoliths in 2 HED Meteorites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Turrin, B.; Lindsay, F. N.; Park, J.; Herzog, G. F.; Delaney, J. S.; Swisher, C. C., III; Johnson, J.; Zolensky, M.

2016-01-01

The generally young K/Ar and 40Ar/39Ar ages of CM chondrites made us wonder whether carbonaceous xenoliths (CMX) entombed in Howardite–Eucrite–Diogenite (HED) meteorites might retain more radiogenic 40Ar than do ‘free-range’ CM-chondrites. To find out, we selected two HED breccias with carbonaceous inclusions in order to compare the 40Ar/39Ar release patterns and ages of the inclusions with those of nearby HED material. Carbonaceous inclusions (CMXs) in two HED meteorites lost a greater fraction of radiogenic 40Ar than did surrounding host material, but a smaller fraction of it than did free-range CM-chondrites such as Murchison or more heavily altered ones. Importantly, however, the siting of the CMXs in HED matrix did not prevent the 40Ar loss of about 40 percent of the radiogenic 40Ar, even from phases that degas at high laboratory temperatures. We infer that carbonaceous asteroids with perihelia of 1 astronomical unit probably experience losses of at least this size. The usefulness of 40Ar/39Ar dating for samples returned from C-type asteroids may hinge, therefore, on identifying and analyzing separately small quantities of the most retentive phases of carbonaceous chondrites.

40Ar* loss in experimentally deformed muscovite and biotite with implications for 40Ar/39Ar geochronology of naturally deformed rocks

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cosca, M.; Stunitz, H.; Bourgeix, A.-L.; Lee, J.P.

2011-01-01

The effects of deformation on radiogenic argon (40Ar*) retentivity in mica are described from high pressure experiments performed on rock samples of peraluminous granite containing euhedral muscovite and biotite. Cylindrical cores, ???15mm in length and 6.25mm in diameter, were drilled from granite collected from the South Armorican Massif in northwestern France, loaded into gold capsules, and weld-sealed in the presence of excess water. The samples were deformed at a pressure of 10kb and a temperature of 600??C over a period 29 of hours within a solid medium assembly in a Griggs-type triaxial hydraulic deformation apparatus. Overall shortening in the experiments was approximately 10%. Transmitted light and secondary and backscattered electron imaging of the deformed granite samples reveals evidence of induced defects and for significant physical grain size reduction by kinking, cracking, and grain segmentation of the micas.Infrared (IR) laser (CO2) heating of individual 1.5-2.5mm diameter grains of muscovite and biotite separated from the undeformed granite yield well-defined 40Ar/39Ar plateau ages of 311??2Ma (2??). Identical experiments on single grains separated from the experimentally deformed granite yield results indicating 40Ar* loss of 0-35% in muscovite and 2-3% 40Ar* loss in biotite. Intragrain in situ ultraviolet (UV) laser ablation 40Ar/39Ar ages (??4-10%, 1??) of deformed muscovites range from 309??13 to 264??7Ma, consistent with 0-16% 40Ar* loss relative to the undeformed muscovite. The in situ UV laser ablation 40Ar/39Ar ages of deformed biotite vary from 301 to 217Ma, consistent with up to 32% 40Ar* loss. No spatial correlation is observed between in situ 40Ar/39Ar age and position within individual grains. Using available argon diffusion data for muscovite the observed 40Ar* loss in the experimentally treated muscovite can be utilized to predict average 40Ar* diffusion dimensions. Maximum 40Ar/39Ar ages obtained by UV laser ablation overlap those

Book review: Advances in 40Ar/39Ar dating: From archaeology to planetary sciences

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cosca, Michael A.

2015-01-01

The recently published book Advances in 40Ar/39Ar Dating: From Archaeology to Planetary Sciences is a collection of 24 chapters authored by international scientists on topics ranging from decay constants to 40Ar/39Ar dating of extraterrestrial objects. As stated by the editors in their introduction, these chapters were assembled with the goal of providing technique-specific examples highlighting recent advances in the field of 40Ar/39Ar dating. As this is the first book truly dedicated to 40Ar/39Ar dating since the second edition printing of the argon geochronologist’s handbook Geochronology and Thermochronology by the 40Ar/39Ar Method (McDougall and Harrison 1999), a new collection of chapters highlighting recent advances in 40Ar/39Ar geochronology offers much to the interested reader.

Preservation of ancient impact ages on the R chondrite parent body: 40Ar/39Ar age of hornblende-bearing R chondrite LAP 04840

USGS Publications Warehouse

Righter, Kevin; Cosca, Michael A.; Morgan, Leah

2016-01-01

The hornblende- and biotite-bearing R chondrite LAP 04840 is a rare kind of meteorite possibly containing outer solar system water stored during metamorphism or postshock annealing deep within an asteroid. Because little is known regarding its age and origin, we determined 40Ar/39Ar ages on hornblende-rich separates of the meteorite, and obtained plateau ages of 4340(±40) to 4380(±30) Ma. These well-defined plateau ages, coupled with evidence for postshock annealing, indicate this meteorite records an ancient shock event and subsequent annealing. The age of 4340–4380 Ma (or 4.34–4.38 Ga) for this and other previously dated R chondrites is much older than most impact events recorded by ordinary chondrites and points to an ancient event or events that predated the late heavy bombardment that is recorded in so many meteorites and lunar samples.

First-principles calibration of 40Ar/39Ar mineral standards and complete extraction of 40Ar* from sanidine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morgan, L. E.; Kuiper, K.; Mark, D.; Postma, O.; Villa, I. M.; Wijbrans, J. R.

2010-12-01

40Ar/39Ar geochronology relies on comparing argon isotopic data for unknowns to those for knowns. Mineral standards used as neutron fluence monitors must be dated by the K-Ar method (or at least referenced to a mineral of known K-Ar age). The commonly used age of 28.02 ± 0.28 Ma for the Fish Canyon sanidine (FCs) (Renne et al., 1998) is based upon measurements of radiogenic 40Ar in GA1550 biotite (McDougall and Roksandic, 1974), but underlying full data were not published (these measurements were never intended for use as an international standard), so uncertainties are difficult to assess. Recent developments by Kuiper et al. (2008) and Renne et al. (2010) are limited by their reliance on the accuracy of other systems. Modern technology should allow for more precise and accurate calibration of primary K-Ar and 40Ar/39Ar standards. From the ideal gas law, the number of moles of 40Ar in a system can be calculated from measurements of pressure, volume, and temperature. Thus we have designed and are proceeding to build a pipette system to introduce well-determined amounts of 40Ar into noble gas extraction lines and mass spectrometers. This system relies on components with calibrations traceable to SI unit prototypes, including a diaphragm pressure gauge (MKS Instruments), thermocouples, and a “slug” of an accurately determined volume to be inserted into the reservoir for volume determinations of the reservoir and pipette. The system will be renewable, with a lifetime of ca. 1 month for gas in the reservoir, and portable, to permit interlaboratory calibrations. The quantitative extraction of 40Ar* from the mineral standard is of highest importance; for sanidine standards this is complicated by high melt viscosity during heating. Experiments adding basaltic “zero age glass” (ZAG) to decrease melt viscosity are underway. This has previously been explored by McDowell (1983) with a resistance furnace, but has not been quantitatively addressed with laser heating

On the relationship between atmospheric rivers (ARs) and heavy precipitation over Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yatagai, A. I.; Takayabu, Y. N.

2016-12-01

Atmospheric Rivers (ARs) are known as the water-vapor rich part of the broader warm conveyor belt. Recently, several AR detection algorithms are proposed, and structures and that of statistical features are studied globally. Since Japan is a humid country located in the north of the warm pool, ARs, middle tropospheric fast moisture transport, might be an important moisture source for heavy precipitation events in Japan. The purpose of this study is to develop an algorithm of detection of ARs over Japan, and to investigate the possible relationship between them and Japanese heavy precipitation events. Since high spatial correlations were obtained between ERA-Interim reanalysis PW and that of SSM/I (microwave images), we used daily PW (0.75 degree grid) for detection of the ARs. Using 36 years (1979-2014) ERA-Interim, we defined daily smoothed PW climatology. Then, we detected AR area with daily anomaly of PW exceeding 10 mm. However, we exclude round-shaped (caused by Typhoon etc) area and the case of moisture transport not exceeding 30N/30S. The daily AR events over Japan (123-146E, 24-46N) are; 1013 cases for winter (DJF), 1722 for spring (MAM), 2229 for summer (JJA) and 1870 for autumn (SON) during the 36 years. They successfully include Hiroshima disaster event (19 August 2014, Hirota et al., 2015) and Amami heavy precipitation event (20 October 2010). The summer with large AR appearance (1998 and 2010) had negative SOI (La Nina), and lowest appearance year (1992) was the year of El Nino (positively significant SOI). Totally, more ARs come over Japan area in La Nina years, however, the seasonal statistics between SOI and the number of AR is not straightforward, indicating that it is difficult to explain ARs over Japan with only tropical inter-annual variability. We use APHRO-JP (Kamiguchi et al., 2010) daily gridded (0.05 degree) precipitation (1979-2011) over Japanese land areas for comparison. Among the 32 years (1979-2011), we had 82 cases of heavy

Chemical and physical erosion rhythms of the West African Cenozoic morphogenesis: The 39Ar-40Ar dating of supergene K-Mn oxides

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beauvais, Anicet; Ruffet, Gilles; HéNocque, Olivier; Colin, Fabrice

2008-12-01

Chemical weathering and mechanical erosion are first-order processes of long-term tropical morphogenesis, which is still poorly deciphered for lack of time constraints. We address this issue by laser probe 39Ar-40Ar dating of generations of cryptomelane [K1-2Mn8O16, nH2O] from the manganese ore deposit of Tambao in northern Burkina Faso. This Mn deposit results from the supergene weathering of carbonate and silicate Mn protores underneath lateritic palaeolandsurfaces. It consists of an upper cryptomelane-rich domain and a lower domain where pyrolusite (β-MnO2) is the dominant Mn oxide. The oldest 39Ar-40Ar ages (59-45 Ma) are obtained on surface outcrops while the youngest ones characterize deep oxidation fronts (3.4-2.9 Ma). Apparent correlations of 39Ar-40Ar age groups with δ18O and eustatic curves allow definition of the different stages of morphogenesis. Paleocene-Eocene ages (59-45 Ma) bracket a greenhouse period propitious to bauxitic weathering. The lack of significant ages between ˜45 and 29 Ma characterizes a period dominated by mechanical erosion, during which detrital sediments, including lateritic materials, were accumulated in intracratonic basins allowing the exhumation of a new lateritic landsurface. Two major weathering periods separated by a second erosion episode (24-18 Ma) are also depicted at the end of Oligocene (29-24 Ma) and lower to mid-Miocene (18-11.5 Ma) in the upper domain, during which newly shaped land surfaces conspicuously weathered. The shorter-weathering and erosion episodes recorded in the lower domain from ˜18 to ˜2.9 Ma led to the final geomorphic changes that were conducive to the formation of glacis. The preservation of old cryptomelane (59-45 Ma) in the upper part of the ore deposit indicates a Cenozoic denudation limited to the erosion of previous bauxites, and partly, of ferricretes.

Evaluation of Allele-Specific Somatic Changes of Genome-Wide Association Study Susceptibility Alleles in Human Colorectal Cancers

PubMed Central

Gerber, Madelyn M.; Hampel, Heather; Schulz, Nathan P.; Fernandez, Soledad; Wei, Lai; Zhou, Xiao-Ping; de la Chapelle, Albert; Toland, Amanda Ewart

2012-01-01

Background Tumors frequently exhibit loss of tumor suppressor genes or allelic gains of activated oncogenes. A significant proportion of cancer susceptibility loci in the mouse show somatic losses or gains consistent with the presence of a tumor susceptibility or resistance allele. Thus, allele-specific somatic gains or losses at loci may demarcate the presence of resistance or susceptibility alleles. The goal of this study was to determine if previously mapped susceptibility loci for colorectal cancer show evidence of allele-specific somatic events in colon tumors. Methods We performed quantitative genotyping of 16 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) showing statistically significant association with colorectal cancer in published genome-wide association studies (GWAS). We genotyped 194 paired normal and colorectal tumor DNA samples and 296 paired validation samples to investigate these SNPs for allele-specific somatic gains and losses. We combined analysis of our data with published data for seven of these SNPs. Results No statistically significant evidence for allele-specific somatic selection was observed for the tested polymorphisms in the discovery set. The rs6983267 variant, which has shown preferential loss of the non-risk T allele and relative gain of the risk G allele in previous studies, favored relative gain of the G allele in the combined discovery and validation samples (corrected p-value = 0.03). When we combined our data with published allele-specific imbalance data for this SNP, the G allele of rs6983267 showed statistically significant evidence of relative retention (p-value = 2.06×10−4). Conclusions Our results suggest that the majority of variants identified as colon cancer susceptibility alleles through GWAS do not exhibit somatic allele-specific imbalance in colon tumors. Our data confirm previously published results showing allele-specific imbalance for rs6983267. These results indicate that allele-specific imbalance of cancer

Reappraisal of Los Humeros Volcanic Complex by New U/Th Zircon and 40Ar/39Ar Dating: Implications for Greater Geothermal Potential

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carrasco-Núñez, G.; Bernal, J. P.; Dávila, P.; Jicha, B.; Giordano, G.; Hernández, J.

2018-01-01

Longevity and size of magmatic systems are fundamental factors for assessing the potential of a geothermal field. At Los Humeros volcanic complex (LHVC), the first caldera-forming event was reported at 460 ± 40 ka. New zircon U/Th and plagioclase 40Ar/39Ar dates of pre-, syn- and postcaldera volcanics allow a reappraisal of the evolution of the geothermally active LHVC. The age of the voluminous Xaltipan ignimbrite (115 km3 dense rock equivalent [DRE]) associated with the formation of the Los Humeros caldera is now constrained by two geochronometers (zircon U/Th and plagioclase 40Ar/39Ar dating) to 164 ± 4.2 ka, which postdates a long episode of precaldera volcanism (rhyolitic domes), the oldest age of which is 693.0 ± 1.9 ka (40Ar/39Ar). The inferred short residence time (around 5 ka) for the paroxysmal Xaltipan ignimbrite is indicative of rapid assembly of a large magma body and rejuvenation of the system due to recurrent recharge magmas, as it has been occurred in some other large magmatic systems. Younger ages than previously believed have been obtained also for the other voluminous explosive phases of the Faby fall tuff at ˜70 ka and the second caldera-forming Zaragoza ignimbrite with 15 km3 DRE, which erupted immediately after. Thus, the time interval that separates the two caldera-forming episodes at Los Humeros is only 94 kyr, which is a much shorter interval than suggested by previous K-Ar dates (410 kyr). This temporal proximity allows us to propose a caldera stage encompassing the Xaltipan and the Zaragoza ignimbrites, followed by emplacement at 44.8 ± 1.7 ka of rhyolitic magmas interpreted to represent a postcaldera, resurgent stage. Rhyolitic eruptions have also occurred during the Holocene (<7.3 ± 0.1 ka) along with olivine-rich basalts that suggest recharge of the system. The estimated large volume magmatic reservoir for Los Humeros (>˜1,200 km3) and these new ages indicating much younger caldera-forming volcanism than previously believed are

30Ar-40Ar Ages of Silicates from IIE Iron Meteorites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garrison, D. H.; Bogard, D. D.

1995-09-01

Several IIE iron meteorites contain small silicate inclusions, dispersed within metal, which suggest formation by a common process involving different degrees of heating and silicate fractionation from a chondrite-like parent (see discussion and references in McCoy [1]). The isotope chronology of IIE meteorites addresses two major questions concerning their origin. How many formation events are required, and do the isotopic ages also represent the times of silicate differentiation in some meteorites, or do they represent later impact heating events? We have determined ^39Ar-^40Ar ages of whole silicate samples of Watson, Techado, and Miles [1]. Although each meteorite gives a complex Ar age spectrum, each spectrum gives a well-defined age plateau over a significant (55-65%) portion of the total ^39Ar release. The ^39Ar-^40Ar degassing ages derived are 3.656 +/-0.005 Ga for Watson, 4.482 +/-0.025 Ga for Techado, and 4.408 +/-0.011 Ga for Miles (one-sigma errors). Absolute ages have an additional ^-0.5% uncertainty arising from the hornblende age monitor used. None of our Ar-Ar spectra show any significant evidence for an age older than those given, and only Miles shows modest evidence for recent diffusive loss of ^40Ar (affecting ^-10% of the ^39Ar release). Previous studies of Kodaikanal gave these ages: Rb-Sr = 3.7 +/-0.1 Ga [2], Pb-Pb = 3.676 +/-0.003 Ga [3], and K-^40Ar = 3.5 Ga [4]. Netschaevo gave a ^39Ar-^40Ar age of 3.74 Ga +/-0.03 Ga [5], and Watson gave a K-^40Ar age of 3.5 Ga [6]. (Some ages have been adjusted for changes in decay and irradiation constants.) All three meteorites suggest a common formation age of ^-3.70 +/-0.05 Ga. The ^39Ar-^40Ar age for Techado is identical to a ^39Ar-^40Ar age of 4.49 +/-0.03 Ga reported for Weekeroo Station [5] and to a Rb-Sr age of 4.51 Ga for Colomera [7]. These ages resemble ^39Ar-^40Ar ages of unshocked ordinary chondrites, and suggest that metal-silicate mixing and cooling to closure for Ar diffusion occurred

40Ar ∗ loss in experimentally deformed muscovite and biotite with implications for 40Ar/ 39Ar geochronology of naturally deformed rocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cosca, Michael; Stunitz, Holger; Bourgeix, Anne-Lise; Lee, John P.

2011-12-01

The effects of deformation on radiogenic argon ( 40Ar ∗) retentivity in mica are described from high pressure experiments performed on rock samples of peraluminous granite containing euhedral muscovite and biotite. Cylindrical cores, ˜15 mm in length and 6.25 mm in diameter, were drilled from granite collected from the South Armorican Massif in northwestern France, loaded into gold capsules, and weld-sealed in the presence of excess water. The samples were deformed at a pressure of 10 kb and a temperature of 600 °C over a period 29 of hours within a solid medium assembly in a Griggs-type triaxial hydraulic deformation apparatus. Overall shortening in the experiments was approximately 10%. Transmitted light and secondary and backscattered electron imaging of the deformed granite samples reveals evidence of induced defects and for significant physical grain size reduction by kinking, cracking, and grain segmentation of the micas. Infrared (IR) laser (CO 2) heating of individual 1.5-2.5 mm diameter grains of muscovite and biotite separated from the undeformed granite yield well-defined 40Ar/ 39Ar plateau ages of 311 ± 2 Ma (2σ). Identical experiments on single grains separated from the experimentally deformed granite yield results indicating 40Ar ∗ loss of 0-35% in muscovite and 2-3% 40Ar ∗ loss in biotite. Intragrain in situ ultraviolet (UV) laser ablation 40Ar/ 39Ar ages (±4-10%, 1σ) of deformed muscovites range from 309 ± 13 to 264 ± 7 Ma, consistent with 0-16% 40Ar ∗ loss relative to the undeformed muscovite. The in situ UV laser ablation 40Ar/ 39Ar ages of deformed biotite vary from 301 to 217 Ma, consistent with up to 32% 40Ar ∗ loss. No spatial correlation is observed between in situ40Ar/ 39Ar age and position within individual grains. Using available argon diffusion data for muscovite the observed 40Ar ∗ loss in the experimentally treated muscovite can be utilized to predict average 40Ar ∗ diffusion dimensions. Maximum 40Ar/ 39Ar ages

Forensic Loci Allele Database (FLAD): Automatically generated, permanent identifiers for sequenced forensic alleles.

PubMed

Van Neste, Christophe; Van Criekinge, Wim; Deforce, Dieter; Van Nieuwerburgh, Filip

2016-01-01

It is difficult to predict if and when massively parallel sequencing of forensic STR loci will replace capillary electrophoresis as the new standard technology in forensic genetics. The main benefits of sequencing are increased multiplexing scales and SNP detection. There is not yet a consensus on how sequenced profiles should be reported. We present the Forensic Loci Allele Database (FLAD) service, made freely available on http://forensic.ugent.be/FLAD/. It offers permanent identifiers for sequenced forensic alleles (STR or SNP) and their microvariants for use in forensic allele nomenclature. Analogous to Genbank, its aim is to provide permanent identifiers for forensically relevant allele sequences. Researchers that are developing forensic sequencing kits or are performing population studies, can register on http://forensic.ugent.be/FLAD/ and add loci and allele sequences with a short and simple application interface (API). Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Experimental Determination of the Cosmogenic Ar Production Rate From Ca

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Niedermann, S.; Schäfer, J. M.; Wieler, R.; Naumann, R.

2005-12-01

Cosmogenic 38Ar is produced in terrestrial surface rocks by spallation of target nuclides, in particular K and Ca. Though the presence of cosmogenic Ar in Ca-rich minerals has been demonstrated earlier [1], is has proven difficult to establish its production rate. To circumvent problems connected to 36Ar production by 35Cl neutron capture and different production rates from K and Ca, we have analyzed the noble gases in seven pyroxene separates (px) from the Antarctic Dry Valleys which are essentially free of Cl and K. The px were obtained from dolerite rocks, for which 3He and 21Ne exposure ages from 1.5 to 6.5 Ma have been reported [2]. The noble gases were extracted in two or three heating steps at GFZ Potsdam, yielding 38Ar/36Ar ratios up to 0.2283 ± 0.0008 (air: 0.1880). Ca (3.7-11.2 wt. %) is expected to be the only relevant target element for Ar production in the five pure px (<0.05% K); the production rate from Fe is at least two orders of magnitude lower than that from Ca [e.g. 3]. Assuming an 38Ar/36Ar production ratio of 1.5 ± 0.2, we obtain cosmogenic 38Ar concentrations between 130 and 530x106 atoms/g. The 38Ar production rate was calculated based on 21Ne exposure ages [2], corrected for elevated nuclide production in Antarctica due to prevailing low air pressure and for the revised 21Ne production rate from Si. We obtain values between 188 ± 17 and 243 +110/-24 atoms (g Ca)-1 a-1 at sea level and high (northern) latitudes for four out of the five pure px, while one yields a very high value of 348 ± 70 atoms (g Ca)-1 a-1. Values above 250 atoms (g Ca)-1 a-1 are also obtained from two less pure px containing 0.3 and 0.9% K and from one feldspar/quartz accumulate, indicating that the production rate from K may be higher than that from Ca. The weighted mean (excluding the outlier) of ~200 atoms (g Ca)-1 a-1 is in excellent agreement with Lal's [3] theoretical estimate. [1] Renne et al., EPSL 188 (2001) 435. [2] Schäfer et al., EPSL 167 (1999) 215. [3

AR-39-AR-40 "Age" of Basaltic Shergottite NWA-3171

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bogard, Donald D.; Park, Jisun

2007-01-01

North-West-Africa 3171 is a 506 g, relatively fresh appearing, basaltic shergottite with similarities to Zagami and Shergotty, but not obviously paired with any of the other known African basaltic shergottites. Its exposure age has the range of 2.5-3.1 Myr , similar to those of Zagami and Shergotty. We made AR-39-AR-40 analyses of a "plagioclase" (now shock-converted to maskelynite) separate and of a glass hand-picked from a vein connected to shock melt pockets.. Plagioclase was separated using its low magnetic susceptibility and then heavy liquid with density of <2.85 g/cm(exp 3). The AR-39-AR-40 age spectrum of NWA-317 1 plag displays a rise in age over 20-100% of the 39Ar release, from 0.24 Gyr to 0.27 Gy.

Ar-40/Ar-39 Ages of Maskelynite Grains from ALHA 77005

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Turrin, B.; Park, J.; Herzog, G. F.; Lindsay, F. N.; Delaney, J. S.; Nyquist, L. E.; Swisher, C., III

2013-01-01

We present Ar-40/Ar-39 measurements for twelve small (20-60 micro-g) maskelynite samples from the heavily shocked martian meteorite ALHA 77005. The reported modal composition for ALHA 77005 is 50-60% olivine (Fa28), 30-40% pyroxene (Wo5Fs23En72), approx.8% maskelynite (An53), and approx.2% opaques by volume [1]). The meteorite is usually classified as a lherzolite. Previous Studies - Ar-40/Ar-39 results from previous work display disturbed release spectra [2,3]. In study [2], Ar-40/Ar-39 measurements on a 52-mg whole-rock sample produced an extremely disturbed release spec-trum, with all calculated apparent ages > 1 Ga, (Fig. 1). In a subsequent study [3], a light and a dark phase were analyzed. A 2.3-mg sample of the light, relatively low-K phase produced a disturbed release spectrum. For the first 20% of the Ar-39(sub K), most of the apparent ages exceeded >1 Ga; the remaining 80% yielded ages between 0.3-0.5 Ga. The integrated age for this phase is 0.9 Ga.

U-series in zircon and 40Ar/39Ar geochronology reveal the most recent stage of a supervolcanic cycle in the Altiplano-Puna Volcanic Complex, Central Andes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tierney, C.; de Silva, S. L.; Schmitt, A. K.; Jicha, B.; Singer, B. S.

2010-12-01

The ignimbrite flare up that produced the Altiplano-Puna Volcanic Complex of the Central Andes is characterized by episodic supervolcanism over a ~10 Ma time-span that climaxed about 4Ma. Since peak activity, the temporal and spatial record of volcanism suggests a waning of the system with only one other supervolcanic eruption at 2.6Ma. The most recent phase of volcanism from the APVC comprises a series of late Pleistocene domes that share a general petrochemical resemblance to the ignimbrites. New U-series data on zircons and high precision 40Ar/39Ar age determinations reveal that these effusive eruptions represent a temporally coherent magmatic episode. The five largest domes (Chao, Chillahuita, Chanka, Chascon-Runtu Jarita, and Tocopuri) have a combined volume >40 km3, and are distributed over an elliptical area of over 3000km2 centered at 22°S 68°W. They are crystal rich (>50%) dacites to rhyolites. New 40Ar/39Ar age determinations on biotite for the domes range range from 108±6 to 190±50 ka. However, 40Ar/39Ar ages from sanidine for some of the domes are more precise and span from 87±4 to 97±2 ka. We therefore interpret the eruption age of all these domes to be ~90 - 100 ka. This is consistent with SIMS U-series crystallization ages from the rims of 66 zircon crystals from four of the domes that reveal a fairly continuous spread of ages from ~90 ka to >300 ka with potentially common peaks in zircon ages at 100 ka and ~200 ka. U-Pb dating on the interiors of some of these zircon crystals indicates crystallization ages of up to 1.5 Ma. The common peaks of zircon crystallization between domes suggest that magma that fed these domes shared a larger regional source. Furthermore, the large volume of this potential source and the crystal-rich nature of the lava imply that this source was likely a large body of crystal-mush. The continuous nature of the zircon rim age population indicates that the residence time of this magma body was likely >200kyr. Potential

40Ar/39Ar and K-Ar data bearing on the metamorphic and tectonic history of western New England.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sutter, J.F.; Ratcliffe, N.M.; Mukasa, S.B.

1985-01-01

40Ar/39Ar ages of coexisting biotite and hornblende from Proterozoic Y gneisses of the Berkshire and Green Mt massifs, as well as 40Ar/39Ar and K/Ar mineral and whole-rock ages from Palaeozoic metamorphic rocks, suggest that the thermal peaks for the dominant metamorphic recrystallization in western New England occurred 465 + or - 5 m.y. (Taconian). 40Ar/39Ar age data from a poorly-defined terrain along the eastern strip of the area suggests that the area has been retrograded during a metamorphism that peaked at least 376 + or - 5 m.y. (Acadian). Available age and petrological data from western New England indicate the presence of at least three separate metamorphic-structure domains of Taconic age: 1) a small area of relict high-P and low-T metamorphism, 2) a broad area of normal Barrovian metamorphism from chlorite to garnet grade characterized by a gentle metamorphic gradient and, 3) a rather narrow belt of steep-gradient, Barrovian series metamorphic rocks. Areas of maximum metamorphic intensity within the last domain coincide with areas of maximum crustal thickening in the later stage of Taconic orogeny. -L.di H

Ar-Ar Impact Heating Ages of Eucrites and Timing of the LHB

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bogard, Donald; Garrison, Daniel

2009-01-01

Eucrites and howardites, more than most meteorite types, show extensive impact resetting of their Ar-39-Ar-40 (K-Ar) ages approximately equal to 3.4-4.1 Ga ago, and many specimens show some disturbance of other radiometry chronometers as well. Bogard (1995) argued that this age resetting occurred on Vesta and was produced by the same general population of objects that produced many of the lunar impact basins. The exact nature of the lunar late heavy bombardment (LHB or 'cataclysm') remains controversial, but the timing is similar to the reset ages of eucrites. Neither the beginning nor ending time of the lunar LHB is well constrained. Comparison of Ar-Ar ages of brecciated eucrites with data for the lunar LHB can resolve both the origin of these impactors and the time period over which they were delivered to the inner solar system. This abstract reports some new Ar-Ar age data for eucrites, obtained since the authors' 1995 and 2003 papers.

Allelic diversity in an NLR gene BPH9 enables rice to combat planthopper variation.

PubMed

Zhao, Yan; Huang, Jin; Wang, Zhizheng; Jing, Shengli; Wang, Yang; Ouyang, Yidan; Cai, Baodong; Xin, Xiu-Fang; Liu, Xin; Zhang, Chunxiao; Pan, Yufang; Ma, Rui; Li, Qiaofeng; Jiang, Weihua; Zeng, Ya; Shangguan, Xinxin; Wang, Huiying; Du, Bo; Zhu, Lili; Xu, Xun; Feng, Yu-Qi; He, Sheng Yang; Chen, Rongzhi; Zhang, Qifa; He, Guangcun

2016-10-24

Brown planthopper (BPH), Nilaparvata lugens Stål, is one of the most devastating insect pests of rice (Oryza sativa L.). Currently, 30 BPH-resistance genes have been genetically defined, most of which are clustered on specific chromosome regions. Here, we describe molecular cloning and characterization of a BPH-resistance gene, BPH9, mapped on the long arm of rice chromosome 12 (12L). BPH9 encodes a rare type of nucleotide-binding and leucine-rich repeat (NLR)-containing protein that localizes to the endomembrane system and causes a cell death phenotype. BPH9 activates salicylic acid- and jasmonic acid-signaling pathways in rice plants and confers both antixenosis and antibiosis to BPH. We further demonstrated that the eight BPH-resistance genes that are clustered on chromosome 12L, including the widely used BPH1, are allelic with each other. To honor the priority in the literature, we thus designated this locus as BPH1/9 These eight genes can be classified into four allelotypes, BPH1/9-1, -2, -7, and -9 These allelotypes confer varying levels of resistance to different biotypes of BPH. The coding region of BPH1/9 shows a high level of diversity in rice germplasm. Homologous fragments of the nucleotide-binding (NB) and leucine-rich repeat (LRR) domains exist, which might have served as a repository for generating allele diversity. Our findings reveal a rice plant strategy for modifying the genetic information to gain the upper hand in the struggle against insect herbivores. Further exploration of natural allelic variation and artificial shuffling within this gene may allow breeding to be tailored to control emerging biotypes of BPH.

ARS racks

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-09-22

ISS020-E-041651 (22 Sept. 2009) --- NASA astronaut Michael Barratt works with the Atmosphere Revitalization System (ARS) rack in the Destiny laboratory of the International Space Station. Barratt, Canadian Space Agency astronaut Robert Thirsk (out of frame) and European Space Agency astronaut Frank De Winne (out of frame), all Expedition 20 flight engineers, spent several hours with the extensive dual-rack swap/install activity, to move Destiny?s ARS rack to the Kibo laboratory and install in Destiny in its place the newly-delivered ARS rack for Node-3.

ARS racks

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-09-22

ISS020-E-041647 (22 Sept. 2009) --- NASA astronaut Michael Barratt works with the Atmosphere Revitalization System (ARS) rack in the Destiny laboratory of the International Space Station. Barratt, Canadian Space Agency astronaut Robert Thirsk (out of frame) and European Space Agency astronaut Frank De Winne (out of frame), all Expedition 20 flight engineers, spent several hours with the extensive dual-rack swap/install activity, to move Destiny?s ARS rack to the Kibo laboratory and install in Destiny in its place the newly-delivered ARS rack for Node-3.

Ar-40/Ar-39 Studies of Martian Meteorite RBT 04262 and Terrestrial Standards

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Park, J.; Herzog, G. F.; Turrin, B.; Lindsay, F. N.; Delaney, J. S.; Swisher, C. C., III; Nagao, K.; Nyquist, L. E.

2014-01-01

Park et al. recently presented an Ar-40/Ar-39 dating study of maskelynite separated from the Martian meteorite RBT 04262. Here we report an additional study of Ar-40/Ar-39 patterns for smaller samples, each consisting of only a few maskelynite grains. Considered as a material for Ar-40/Ar-39 dating, the shock-produced glass maskelynite has both an important strength (relatively high K concentration compared to other mineral phases) and some potentially problematic weaknesses. At Rutgers, we have been analyzing small grains consisting of a single phase to explore local effects that might be averaged and remain hidden in larger samples. Thus, to assess the homogeneity of the RBT maskelynite and for comparison with the results of, we analyzed six approx. 30 microgram samples of the same maskelynite separate they studied. Furthermore, because most Ar-40/Ar-39 are calculated relative to the age of a standard, we present new Ar-40/Ar-39 age data for six standards. Among the most widely used standards are sanidine from Fish Canyon (FCs) and various hornblendes (hb3gr, MMhb-1, NL- 25), which are taken as primary standards because their ages have been determined by independent, direct measurements of K and A-40.

40Ar/39Ar and unspiked 40K-40Ar dating of upper Pleistocene volcanic activity in the Bas-Vivarais (Ardèche, France)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sasco, Romain; Guillou, Hervé; Nomade, Sébastien; Scao, Vincent; Maury, René C.; Kissel, Catherine; Wandres, Camille

2017-07-01

Fifteen basanitic and tephritic flows from Bas-Vivarais, the youngest volcanic field in the French Massif Central together with the Chaîne des Puys, were dated by 40Ar/39Ar and 40K-40Ar on separated groundmass, and studied for paleomagnetism. An almost systematic discrepancy between the two types of ages is observed, the 40K-40Ar method providing ages up to 8.5 times the 40Ar/39Ar ones. Microscopic observations and geochemical analyses lead us to conclude that most of the K-Ar ages measured on Bas-Vivarais samples are in error due to extraneous argon originating from contamination by xenocrysts from disintegrated crustal and mantle xenoliths. However, 40Ar/39Ar experiments do not evidence any excess argon, suggesting two possibilities: 1, the extraneous argon contribution was eliminated during the pre-degassing of the samples at 600 °C prior to the step heating experiments, 2 - K-Ar ages may be older because larger quantities of xenocrysts, potential carriers of extraneous argon were involved in the K-Ar experiments than in the 40Ar/39Ar ones. 40Ar/39Ar ages are thus little or not affected by contamination and provide reliable ages for the studied volcanoes. Combined 40Ar/39Ar datings and magnetic directions for each flow point out to three successive stages in the volcanic evolution of Bas-Vivarais. Stage 1, limited to the northern part of the field, has a mean age of 187.3 ± 19.0 ka. In its southern part, Stages 2 and 3 emplaced magmas at 31.1 ± 3.9 ka and 23.9 ± 8.1 ka, respectively. These two last stages are consistent with available 14C dates but not with previous thermoluminescence data.

Ar-Ar and I-Xe Ages and the Thermal History of IAB Meteorites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bogard, Donald D.; Garrison, Daniel H.; Takeda, Hiroshi

2005-01-01

Studies of several samples of the large Caddo County IAB iron meteorite reveal andesitic material, enriched in Si, Na, Al and Ca, which is essentially unique among meteorites. This material is believed to have formed from a chondritic source by partial melting and to have further segregated by grain coarsening. Such an origin implies extended metamorphism of the IAB parent body. New Ar-39- Ar-40 ages for silicate from three different Caddo samples are consistent with a common age of 4.50-4.51 Gyr ago. Less well defined Ar-Ar degassing ages for inclusions from two other IABs, EET8333 and Udei Station, are approx.4.32 Gyr, whereas the age for Campo del Cielo varies considerably over approx.3.23-4.56 Gyr. New I-129-Xe-129 ages for Caddo County and EET8333 are 4557.9+/-0.1 Myr and 4557-4560 Myr, respectively, relative to an age of 4562.3 Myr for Shallowater. Considering all reported Ar-Ar degassing ages for IABs and related winonaites, the range is approx.4.32-4.53 Gyr, but several IABs give similar Ar ages of 4.50-4.52 Gyr. We interpret these older Ar ages to represent cooling after the time of last significant metamorphism on the parent body, and the younger ages to represent later 40Ar diffusion loss. The older Ar-Ar ages for IABs are similar to Sm-Nd and Rb-Sr isochron ages reported in the literature for Caddo County. Considering the possibility that IAB parent body formation was followed by impact disruption, reassembly, and metamorphism (e.g., Benedix et al. 2000), the Ar-Ar ages and IAB cooling rates deduced from Ni concentration profiles in IAB metal (Herpfer et al., 1994) are consistent if the time of the post-assembly metamorphism was as late as approx.4.53 Gyr ago. However, I-Xe ages reported for some IABs define much older ages of approx.4558-4566 Myr, which cannot easily be reconciled with the much younger Ar-Ar and Sm-Nd ages. An explanation for the difference in radiometric ages of IABs may reside in combinations of the following: a) I-Xe ages have very

Ar-Ar Thermochronlogy of Apollo 12 Impact-Melt Breccia 12033,638-1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Crow, C. A.; Cassata, W. S.; Jolliff, B. L.; Ziegler, R. A.; Borg, L. E.; Shearer, C. K.

2017-01-01

We have undertaken an Ar-Ar thermochronology investigation as part of a coordinated multichronometer analysis of a single Apollo 12 impact- melt breccia to demonstrate the wide range of information that can be obtained for a single complex rock. This has implications for the age of formation, component makeup, and subsequent impact/shock and exposure history of the sample. This study also serves as a capabilities demonstration for the proposed MoonRise Mission [1]. The goal of this investigation is to elucidate the history of this sample through coordinated 40Ar*/39Ar, Sm-Nd, Rb-Sr and zircon 207Pb-206Pb ages along with geochemical and petrographic context on a relatively small (approximately 450 mg) sample. Here, we report preliminary results of the Ar-Ar thermochronology.

High Spatial Resolution 40Ar/39Ar Geochronology of Lunar Impact Melt Rocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mercer, Cameron Mark

Impact cratering has played a key role in the evolution of the solid surfaces of Solar System bodies. While much of Earth’s impact record has been erased, its Moon preserves an extensive history of bombardment. Quantifying the timing of lunar impact events is crucial to understanding how impacts have shaped the evolution of early Earth, and provides the basis for estimating the ages of other cratered surfaces in the Solar System. Many lunar impact melt rocks are complex mixtures of glassy and crystalline “melt” materials and inherited clasts of pre-impact minerals and rocks. If analyzed in bulk, these samples can yield complicated incremental release 40Ar/39Ar spectra, making it challenging to uniquely interpret impact ages. Here, I have used a combination of high-spatial resolution 40Ar/39Ar geochronology and thermal-kinetic modeling to gain new insights into the impact histories recorded by such lunar samples. To compare my data to those of previous studies, I developed a software tool to account for differences in the decay, isotopic, and monitor age parameters used for different published 40Ar/39Ar datasets. Using an ultraviolet laser ablation microprobe (UVLAMP) system I selectively dated melt and clast components of impact melt rocks collected during the Apollo 16 and 17 missions. UVLAMP 40Ar/39Ar data for samples 77135, 60315, 61015, and 63355 show evidence of open-system behavior, and provide new insights into how to interpret some complexities of published incremental heating 40Ar/39Ar spectra. Samples 77115, 63525, 63549, and 65015 have relatively simple thermal histories, and UVLAMP 40Ar/39Ar data for the melt components of these rocks indicate the timing of impact events—spanning hundreds of millions of years—that influenced the Apollo 16 and 17 sites. My modeling and UVLAMP 40Ar/39Ar data for sample 73217 indicate that some impact melt rocks can quantitatively retain evidence for multiple melt-producing impact events, and imply that such

Global distribution of malaria-resistant MHC-HLA alleles: the number and frequencies of alleles and malaria risk.

PubMed

Garamszegi, László Zsolt

2014-09-03

The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) is the most polymorphic genetic region in vertebrates, but the origin of such genetic diversity remains unresolved. Several studies have demonstrated at the within-population level that individuals harbouring particular alleles can be less or more susceptible to malaria, but these do not allow strong generalization. Here worldwide data on the frequencies of several hundred MHC alleles of the human leucocyte antigen (HLA) system in relation to malaria risk at the between-population level were analysed in a phylogenetic framework, and results for different alleles were quantitatively summarized in a meta-analysis. There was an overall positive relationship between malaria pressure and the frequency of several HLA alleles indicating that allele frequencies increase in countries with strong malaria pressure. Nevertheless, considerable heterogeneity was observed across alleles, and some alleles showed a remarkable negative relationship with malaria risk. When heterogeneities were partitioned into different organization groups of the MHC, the strongest positive relationships were detected for alleles of the HLA-A and HLA-B loci, but there were also differences between MHC supertypes that constitute functionally distinct nucleotide sequences. Finally, the number of MHC alleles that are maintained within countries was also related to malaria risk. Therefore, malaria represents a key selection pressure for the human MHC and has left clear evolutionary footprints on both the frequencies and the number of alleles observed in different countries.

Ar-Ar dating techniques for terrestrial meteorite impacts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kelley, S. P.

2003-04-01

The ages of the largest (>100 km) known impacts on Earth are now well characterised. However the ages of many intermediate sized craters (20-100 km) are still poorly known, often the only constraints are stratigraphic - the difference between the target rock age and the age of crater filling sediments. The largest impacts result in significant melt bodies which cool to form igneous rocks and can be dated using conventional radiometric techniques. Smaller impacts give rise to thin bands of melted rock or melt clasts intimately mixed with country rock clasts in breccia deposits, and present much more of a challenge to dating. The Ar-Ar dating technique can address a wide variety of complex and heterogeneous samples associated with meteorite impacts and obtain reasonable ages. Ar-Ar results will be presented from a series of terrestrial meteorite impact craters including Boltysh (65.17±0.64 Ma, Strangways (646±42 Ma), and St Martin (220±32 Ma) and a Late Triassic spherule bed, possibly representing distal deposits from Manicouagan (214±1 Ma) crater. Samples from the Boltysh and Strangways craters demonstrate the importance of rapid cooling upon the retention of old ages in glassy impact rocks. A Late Triassic spherule bed in SW England is cemented by both carbonate and K-feldspar cements allowing Ar-Ar dating of fine grained cement to place a mimimum age upon the age of the associated impact. An age of 214.7±2.5 Ma places the deposit with errors of the age of the Manicouagan impact, raising the possibility that it may represent a distal deposit (the deposit lay around 2000 km away from the site of the Manicouagan crater during the Late Triassic). Finally the limits of the technique will be demonstrated using an attempt to date melt rocks from the St Martin Crater in Canada.

Ar-39-Ar-40 Ages of Two Nakhlites, MIL03346 and Y000593: A Detailed Analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Park, Jisun; Garrison, Daniel; Bogard, Donald

2007-01-01

Radiometric dating of martian nakhlites by several techniques have given similar ages of approx.1.2-1.4 Ga [e.g. 1, 2]. Unlike the case with shergottites, where the presence of martian atmosphere and inherited radiogenic Ar-40 produce apparent Ar-39-Ar-40 ages older than other radiometric ages, Ar-Ar ages of nakhlites are similar to ages derived by other techniques. However, even in some nakhlites the presence of trapped martian Ar produces some uncertainty in the Ar-Ar age. We present here an analysis of such Ar-Ar ages from the MIL03346 and Y000593 nakhlites.

RNA-based FLT3-ITD allelic ratio is associated with outcome and ex vivo response to FLT3 inhibitors in pediatric AML.

PubMed

Cucchi, David G J; Denys, Barbara; Kaspers, Gertjan J L; Janssen, Jeroen J W M; Ossenkoppele, Gert J; de Haas, Valérie; Zwaan, C Michel; van den Heuvel-Eibrink, Marry M; Philippé, Jan; Csikós, Tamás; Kwidama, Zinia; de Moerloose, Barbara; de Bont, Eveline S J M; Lissenberg-Witte, Birgit I; Zweegman, Sonja; Verwer, Femke; Vandepoele, Karl; Schuurhuis, Gerrit Jan; Sonneveld, Edwin; Cloos, Jacqueline

2018-05-31

Controversy exists whether internal tandem duplication of FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3 ( FLT3- internal tandem duplication [ITD]) allelic ratio (AR) and/or length of the ITD should be taken into account for risk stratification of pediatric acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and whether it should be measured on RNA or DNA. Moreover, the ITD status may be of relevance for selecting patients eligible for FLT3 inhibitors. Here, we included 172 pediatric AML patients, of whom 36 (21%) harbored FLT3 -ITD as determined on both RNA and DNA. Although there was a good correlation between both parameters AR spearman = 0.62 (95% confidence interval, 0.22-0.87) and ITDlength spearman = 0.98 (95% confidence interval, 0.90-1.00), only AR ≥ 0.5 and length ≥48 base pairs (bps) based on RNA measurements were significantly associated with overall survival (AR: P logrank = .008; ITDlength: P logrank = .011). In large ITDs (>156 bp on DNA) a remarkable 90-bp difference exists between DNA and RNA, including intron 14, which is spliced out in RNA. Ex vivo exposure (n = 30) to FLT3 inhibitors, in particular to the FLT3-specific inhibitor gilteritinib, showed that colony-forming capacity was significantly more reduced in FLT3 -ITD-AR ≥ 0.5 compared with ITD-AR-low and ITD - patient samples ( P < .001). RNA-based FLT3 -ITD measurements are recommended for risk stratification, and the relevance of AR regarding eligibility for FLT3-targeted therapy warrants further study. © 2018 by The American Society of Hematology.

Timing of Hydrocarbon Fluid Emplacement in Sandstone Reservoirs in Neogene in Huizhou Sag, Southern China Sea, by Authigenic Illite 40Ar- 39Ar Laser Stepwise Heating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hesheng, Shi; Junzhang, Zhu; Huaning, Qiu; yu, Shu; Jianyao, Wu; Zulie, Long

Timing of oil or gas emplacements is a new subject in isotopic geochronology and petroleum geology. Hamilton et al. expounded the principle of the illite K-Ar age: Illite is often the last or one of the latest mineral cements to form prior to hydrocarbon accumulation. Since the displacement of formation water by hydrocarbons will cause silicate diagenesis to cease, K-Ar ages for illite will constrain the timing of this event, and also constrain the maximum age of formation of the trap structure. In this study, the possibility of authigenic illites 40Ar- 39Ar dating has been investigated. The illite samples were separated from the Tertiary sandstones in three rich oil reservoir belts within the Huizhou sag by cleaning, fracturing by cycled cooling-heating, soxhlet-extraction with solvents of benzene and methanol and separating with centrifugal machine. If oil is present in the separated samples, ionized organic fragments with m/e ratios of 36 to 40 covering the argon isotopes will be yielded by the ion source of a mass spectrometer, resulting in wrong argon isotopic analyses and wrong 40Ar- 39Ar ages. The preliminary experiments of illite by heating did show the presence of ionized organic fragments with m/e ratios of 36 to 44. In order to clean up the organic gases completely and obtain reliable analysis results, a special purification apparatus has been established by Qiu et al. and proved valid by the sequent illite analyses. All the illite samples by 40Ar- 39Ar IR-laser stepwise heating yield stair-up age spectra in lower laser steps and plateaux in higher laser steps. The youngest apparent ages corresponding to the beginning steps are reasonable to be interpreted for the hydrocarbon accumulation ages. The weighted mean ages of the illites from the Zhuhai and Zhujiang Formations are (12.1 ± 1.1) Ma and (9.9 ± 1.2) Ma, respectively. Therefore, the critical emplacement of petroleum accumulation in Zhujiang Formation in Huizhou sag took place in ca 10 Ma. Late

AR copy number and AR signaling-directed therapies in castration-resistant prostate cancer.

PubMed

Salvi, Samanta; Conteduca, Vincenza; Lolli, Cristian; Testoni, Sara; Casadio, Valentina; Zaccheroni, Andrea; Rossi, Lorena; Burgio, Salvatore Luca; Menna, Cecilia; Schepisi, Giuseppe; De Giorgi, Ugo

2017-11-22

Adaptive upregulation of androgen receptor (AR) is the most common event involved in the progression from hormone sensitive to castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). AR signaling remains the main target of new AR signalling-directed therapies such as abiraterone and enzalutamide in CRPC patients. In this review, we discuss general mechanisms of resistance to AR-targeted therapies, with a focus on the role of AR copy number (CN). We reported methods and clinical applications of AR CN evaluation in tissue and liquid biopsy, thus to have a complete information regarding its role as predictive and prognostic biomarker. Outcomes of CRPC patients are reported to be highly variable as consequence of tumor heterogeneity. AR CN could contribute to patient selection and tumor monitoring in CRPC treated with new anti-cancer treatment as abiraterone and enzalutamide. Further studies to investigate AR CN effect to these agents and its potential combination with other prognostic or predictive clinical factors are necessary in the context of harmonized clinical trial design. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.

AR4VI: AR as an Accessibility Tool for People with Visual Impairments.

PubMed

Coughlan, James M; Miele, Joshua

2017-10-01

Although AR technology has been largely dominated by visual media, a number of AR tools using both visual and auditory feedback have been developed specifically to assist people with low vision or blindness - an application domain that we term Augmented Reality for Visual Impairment (AR4VI). We describe two AR4VI tools developed at Smith-Kettlewell, as well as a number of pre-existing examples. We emphasize that AR4VI is a powerful tool with the potential to remove or significantly reduce a range of accessibility barriers. Rather than being restricted to use by people with visual impairments, AR4VI is a compelling universal design approach offering benefits for mainstream applications as well.

Re-Evaluation of Ar-39 - Ar-40 Ages for Apollo Lunar Rocks 15415 and 60015

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Park, J.; Nyquist, L. E.; Bogard, D. D.; Garrison, D. H.; Shih, C.-Y.

2010-01-01

We re-analyzed 39Ar-40Ar ages of Apollo lunar highland samples 15415 and 60015, two ferroan anorthosites analyzed previously in the 1970 s, with a more detailed approach and with revised decay constants. From these samples we carefully prepared 100-200 mesh mineral separates for analysis at the Noble Gas Laboratory at NASA-Johnson Space Center. The Ar-39-Ar-40 age spectra for 15415 yielded an age of 3851 +/- 38 Ma with 33-99% of Ar39 release, roughly in agreement with previously reported Ar-Ar ages. For 60015, we obtained an age of 3584 +/- 152 Ma in 23-98% of Ar39 release, also in agreement with previously reported Ar-Ar ages of approximately 3.5 Ga. Highland anorthosites like these are believed by many to be the original crust of the moon, formed by plagioclase floatation atop a magma ocean, however the Ar-Ar ages of 15415 and 60015 are considerably younger than lunar crust formation. By contrast, recently recovered lunar anorthosites such as Dhofar 489, Dhofar 908, and Yamato 86032 yield older Ar-Ar ages, up to 4.35 Ga, much closer to time of formation of the lunar crust. It follows that the Ar-Ar ages of the Apollo samples must have been reset by secondary heating, and that this heating affected highland anorthosites at both the Apollo 15 and Apollo 16 landing sites but did not affect lunar highland meteorites. One obvious consideration is that while the Apollo samples were collected from the near side of the moon, these lunar meteorites are thought to have originated from the lunar far side

Lgr4 promotes prostate tumorigenesis through the Jmjd2a/AR signaling pathway.

PubMed

Zhang, Jianwei; Li, Qi; Zhang, Shaojin; Xu, Quanquan; Wang, Tianen

2016-11-15

Lgr4 (leucine-rich repeat domain containing G protein-coupled receptor 4) is implicated in the transcriptional regulation of multiple histone demethylases in the progression of diverse cancers, but there are few reports concerning the molecular mechanism by which Lgr4 regulates histone demethylase activation in prostate cancer (PCa) progression. As Jmjd2a is a histone demethylase, in the current study, we investigated the relationship between interaction Lgr4 with Jmjd 2a and Jmjd2a/androgen receptor (AR) signaling pathway in PCa progression. Firstly, Lgr4 was overexpressed by transfecting pcDNA3.1(+)/Lgr4 plasmids into PCa (LNCaP and PC-3) cell lines. Next, we found that Lgr4 overexpression promoted Jmjd2a mRNA expression, reduced cell apoptosis and arrested cell cycle in the S phase, these effects were reversed by Jmjd2a silencing. Moreover, Lgr4 overexpression markedly elevated AR levels and its interaction with Jmjd2a, which was tested by co-immunoprecipitation and luciferase reporter assays. Furthermore, interaction AR with PSA promoter (containing an AR response element) was obviously improved by Lgr4 overexpression, and PSA silencing reduced Lgr4-induced cell apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in PCa cells. Taken together, Lgr4 may be a novel tumor marker providing new mechanistic insights into PCa progression. Lgr4 activates Jmjd2a/AR signaling pathway to promote interaction AR with PSA promoter, causing reduction of PCa apoptosis and cell cycle arrest. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

U-Pb, Re-Os, and Ar/Ar geochronology of rare earth element (REE)-rich breccia pipes and associated host rocks from the Mesoproterozoic Pea Ridge Fe-REE-Au deposit, St. Francois Mountains, Missouri

USGS Publications Warehouse

Aleinikoff, John N.; Selby, David; Slack, John F.; Day, Warren C.; Pillers, Renee M.; Cosca, Michael A.; Seeger, Cheryl; Fanning, C. Mark; Samson, Iain

2016-01-01

Rare earth element (REE)-rich breccia pipes (600,000 t @ 12% rare earth oxides) are preserved along the margins of the 136-million metric ton (Mt) Pea Ridge magnetite-apatite deposit, within Mesoproterozoic (~1.47 Ga) volcanic-plutonic rocks of the St. Francois Mountains terrane in southeastern Missouri, United States. The breccia pipes cut the rhyolite-hosted magnetite deposit and contain clasts of nearly all local bedrock and mineralized lithologies.Grains of monazite and xenotime were extracted from breccia pipe samples for SHRIMP U-Pb geochronology; both minerals were also dated in one polished thin section. Monazite forms two morphologies: (1) matrix granular grains composed of numerous small (<50 μm) crystallites intergrown with rare xenotime, thorite, apatite, and magnetite; and (2) coarse euhedral, glassy, bright-yellow grains similar to typical igneous or metamorphic monazite. Trace element abundances (including REE patterns) were determined on selected grains of monazite (both morphologies) and xenotime. Zircon grains from two samples of host rhyolite and two late felsic dikes collected underground at Pea Ridge were also dated. Additional geochronology done on breccia pipe minerals includes Re-Os on fine-grained molybdenite and 40Ar/39Ar on muscovite, biotite, and K-feldspar.Ages (±2σ errors) obtained by SHRIMP U-Pb analysis are as follows: (1) zircon from the two host rhyolite samples have ages of 1473.6 ± 8.0 and 1472.7 ± 5.6 Ma; most zircon in late felsic dikes is interpreted as xenocrystic (age range ca. 1522–1455 Ma); a population of rare spongy zircon is likely of igneous origin and yields an age of 1441 ± 9 Ma; (2) pale-yellow granular monazite—1464.9 ± 3.3 Ma (no dated xenotime); (3) reddish matrix granular monazite—1462.0 ± 3.5 Ma and associated xenotime—1453 ± 11 Ma; (4) coarse glassy-yellow monazite—1464.8 ± 2.1, 1461.7 ± 3.7 Ma, with rims at 1447.2 ± 4.7 Ma; and (5) matrix monazite (in situ)—1464.1 ± 3.6 and 1454

The 40Ar/39Ar and K/Ar dating of lavas from the Hilo 1-km core hole, Hawaii Scientific Drilling Project

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sharp, W.D.; Turrin, B.D.; Renne, P.R.; Lanphere, M.A.

1996-01-01

Mauna Kea lava flows cored in the HilIo hole range in age from <200 ka to about 400 ka based on 40Ar/39Ar incremental heating and K-Ar analyses of 16 groundmass samples and one coexisting plagioclase. The lavas, all subaerially deposited, include a lower section consisting only of tholeiitic basalts and an upper section of interbedded alkalic, transitional tholeiitic, and tholeiitic basalts. The lower section has yielded predominantly complex, discordant 40Ar/39Ar age spectra that result from mobility of 40Ar and perhaps K, the presence of excess 40Ar, and redistribution of 39Ar by recoil. Comparison of K-Ar ages with 40Ar/39Ar integrated ages indicates that some of these samples have also lost 39Ar. Nevertheless, two plateau ages of 391 ?? 40 and 400 ?? 26 ka from deep in the hole, combined with data from the upper section, show that the tholeiitic section accumulated at an average rate of about 7 to 8 m/kyr and has an mean recurrence interval of 0.5 kyr/flow unit. Samples from the upper section yield relatively precise 40Ar/39Ar plateau and isotope correlation ages of 326 ?? 23, 241 ?? 5, 232 ?? 4, and 199 ?? 9 ka for depths of -415.7 m to -299.2 m. Within their uncertainty, these ages define a linear relationship with depth, with an average accumulation rate of 0.9 m/kyr and an average recurrence interval of 4.8 kyr/flow unit. The top of the Mauna Kea sequence at -280 m must be older than the plateau age of 132 ?? 32 ka, obtained for the basal Mauna Loa flow in the corehole. The upward decrease in lava accumulation rate is a consequence of the decreasing magma supply available to Mauna Kea as it rode the Pacific plate away from its magma source, the Hawaiian mantle plume. The age-depth relation in the core hole may be used to test and refine models that relate the growth of Mauna Kea to the thermal and compositional structure of the mantle plume.

Noble gas isotopes and halogens in volatile-rich inclusions in diamonds

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Burgess, Raymond; Turner, Grenville

1994-01-01

Application of the (40)Ar-(39)Ar method and noble gas studies to diamonds has increased our understanding of their age relationships to the host kimberlite or lamproite, and of the source and composition of volatile-rich fluids in the upper mantle. The properties of diamond (inert, high mechanical strength and low gas diffusivities) means they are especially useful samples for studying gases trapped deep within the earth (less than 150 km) as they are unlikely to have undergone loss or exchange of entrapped material since formation. Volatile-rich fluids (H2O-CO2) are important agents for metasomatic processes in the upper mantle, and the noble gases and halogens preferentially partition into this phase leading to a strong geochemical coherence between these groups of elements. The abundances of the halogens in the major reservoirs of the Earth shows a marked progression from chlorine, concentrated in the oceans, through to iodine which, through its affinity to organic material, is concentrated mainly in sediments. Abundances in the upper mantle are low. This is particularly true for iodine which is of special interest in view of its potential significance as an indicator of sediment recycling and by way of its link to (129)Xe amomalies in the mantle through the low extinct isotope (129)I. Extensions of the (40)Ar-(39)Ar technique enable measurements of halogens and other elements (K, Ca, Ba, U) by production of noble gas isotopes from these species during neutron irradiation. Samples analyzed in this way include 15 coated stones from an unknown source in Zaire, 3 boarts from the Jwaneng and 1 boart from the Orapa kimberlites, both in Botswana.

Ar-39-Ar-40 Evidence for Early Impact Events on the LL Parent Body

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dixon, E. T.; Bogard, D. D.; Garrison, D. H.; Rubin, A. E.

2006-01-01

We determined Ar-39-Ar-40 ages of eight LL chondrites, and one igneous inclusion from an LL chondrite, with the object of understanding the thermal history of the LL-chondrite parent body. The meteorites in this study have a range of petrographic types from LL3.3 to LL6, and shock stages from S1 to S4. These meteorites reveal a range of K-Ar ages from 23.66 to 24.50 Ga, and peak ages from 23.74 to 24.55 Ga. Significantly, three of the eight chondrites (LL4, 5, 6) have K-Ar ages of -4.27 Ga. One of these (MIL99301) preserves an Ar-39-Ar-40 age of 4.23 +/- 0.03 Ga from low-temperature extractions, and an older age of 4.52 +/- 0.08 Ga from the highest temperature extractions. In addition, an igneous-textured impact melt DOM85505,22 has a peak Ar-39-Ar-40 age of >= 4.27 Ga. We interpret these results as evidence for impact events that occurred at about 4.27 Ga on the LL parent body that produced local impact melts, reset the Ar-39-Ar-40 ages of some meteorites, and exhumed (or interred) others, resulting in a range of cooling ages. The somewhat younger peak age of 3.74 Ga from GR095658 (LL3.3) suggests an additional impact event close to timing of impact-reset ages of some other ordinary chondrites between 3.6-3.8 Ga. The results from MIL99301 suggest that some apparently unshocked (Sl) chondrites may have substantially reset Ar-39-Ar-40 ages. A previous petrographic investigation of MIL99301 suggested that reheating to temperatures less than or equal to type 4 petrographic conditions (600C) caused fractures in olivine to anneal, resulting in a low apparent shock stage of S1 (unshocked). The Ar-39-Ar-40 age spectrum of MIL99301 is consistent with this interpretation. Older ages from high-T extractions may date an earlier impact event at 4.52 +/- 0.08 Ga, whereas younger ages from lower-T extractions date a later impact event at 4.23 Ar-39-Ar-40 0.03 Ga that may have caused annealing of feldspar and olivine

AR4VI: AR as an Accessibility Tool for People with Visual Impairments

PubMed Central

Coughlan, James M.; Miele, Joshua

2017-01-01

Although AR technology has been largely dominated by visual media, a number of AR tools using both visual and auditory feedback have been developed specifically to assist people with low vision or blindness – an application domain that we term Augmented Reality for Visual Impairment (AR4VI). We describe two AR4VI tools developed at Smith-Kettlewell, as well as a number of pre-existing examples. We emphasize that AR4VI is a powerful tool with the potential to remove or significantly reduce a range of accessibility barriers. Rather than being restricted to use by people with visual impairments, AR4VI is a compelling universal design approach offering benefits for mainstream applications as well. PMID:29303163

40Ar 39Ar age constraints on neogene sedimentary beds, Upper Ramparts, half-way Pillar and Canyon village sites, Porcupine river, east-central Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kunk, Michael J.; Rieck, H.; Fouch, T.D.; Carter, L.D.

1994-01-01

40Ar 39Ar ages of volcanic rocks are used to provide numerical constraints on the age of middle and upper Miocene sedimentary strata collected along the Porcupine River. Intercalated sedimentary rocks north of latitude 67??10???N in the Porcupine terrane of east-central Alaska contain a rich record of plant fossils. The fossils are valuable indicators of this interior region's paleoclimate during the time of their deposition. Integration of the 40Ar 39Ar results with paleomagnetic and sedimentological data allows for refinements in estimating the timing of deposition and duration of selected sedimentary intervals. 40Ar 39Ar plateau age spectra, from whole rock basalt samples, collected along the Upper Ramparts and near Half-way Pillar on the Porcupine River, range from 15.7 ?? 0.1 Ma at site 90-6 to 14.4 ?? 0.1 Ma at site 90-2. With exception of the youngest basalt flow at site 90-2, all of the samples are of reversed magnetic polarity, and all 40Ar 39Ar age spectrum results are consistent with the deposition of the entire stratigraphic section during a single interval of reversed magnetic polarity. The youngest flow at site 90-2 was emplaced during an interval of normal polarity. With age, paleomagnetic and sedimentological data, the ages of the Middle Miocene sedimentary rocks between the basalt flows at sites 90-1 and 90-2 can be assigned to an interval within the limits of analytical precision of 15.2 ?? 0.1 Ma; thus, the sediments were deposited during the peak of the Middle Miocene thermal maximum. Sediments in the upper parts of sites 90-1 and 90-2 were probably deposited during cooling from the Middle Miocene thermal maximum. 40Ar 39Ar results of plagioclase and biotite from a single tephra, collected at sites 90-7 and 90-8 along the Canyon Village section of the Porcupine River, indicate an age of 6.57 ?? 0.02 Ma for its time of eruption and deposition. These results, together with sedimentological and paleomagnetic data, suggest that all of the Upper

Multi-spacecraft observations of recurrent {sup 3}He-rich solar energetic particles

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bučík, R.; Innes, D. E.; Mall, U.

2014-05-01

We study the origin of {sup 3}He-rich solar energetic particles (<1 MeV nucleon{sup –1}) that are observed consecutively on STEREO-B, Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE), and STEREO-A spacecraft when they are separated in heliolongitude by more than 90°. The {sup 3}He-rich period on STEREO-B and STEREO-A commences on 2011 July 1 and 2011 July 16, respectively. The ACE {sup 3}He-rich period consists of two sub-events starting on 2011 July 7 and 2011 July 9. We associate the STEREO-B July 1 and ACE July 7 {sup 3}He-rich events with the same sizeable active region (AR) producing X-ray flares accompanied by prompt electronmore » events, when it was near the west solar limb as seen from the respective spacecraft. The ACE July 9 and STEREO-A July 16 events were dispersionless with enormous {sup 3}He enrichment, lacking solar energetic electrons and occurring in corotating interaction regions. We associate these events with a small, recently emerged AR near the border of a low-latitude coronal hole that produced numerous jet-like emissions temporally correlated with type III radio bursts. For the first time we present observations of (1) solar regions with long-lasting conditions for {sup 3}He acceleration and (2) solar energetic {sup 3}He that is temporarily confined/re-accelerated in interplanetary space.« less

40Ar/39Ar technique of KAr dating: a comparison with the conventional technique

USGS Publications Warehouse

Brent, Dalrymple G.; Lanphere, M.A.

1971-01-01

K-Ar ages have been determined by the 40Ar/39Ar total fusion technique on 19 terrestrial samples whose conventional K-Ar ages range from 3.4 my to nearly 1700 my. Sample materials included biotite, muscovite, sanidine, adularia, plagioclase, hornblende, actinolite, alunite, dacite, and basalt. For 18 samples there are no significant differences at the 95% confidence level between the KAr ages obtained by these two techniques; for one sample the difference is 4.3% and is statistically significant. For the neutron doses used in these experiments (???4 ?? 1018 nvt) it appears that corrections for interfering Ca- and K-derived Ar isotopes can be made without significant loss of precision for samples with K/Ca > 1 as young as about 5 ?? 105 yr, and for samples with K/Ca < 1 as young as about 107 yr. For younger samples the combination of large atmospheric Ar corrections and large corrections for Ca- and K-derived Ar may make the precision of the 40Ar/39Ar technique less than that of the conventional technique unless the irradiation parameters are adjusted to minimize these corrections. ?? 1971.

Successful prediction of genetic richness at wild potato collection sites in southeastern Arizona

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Much time, money, and effort is needed to collect even a fraction of the potential geographic range of wild potato species, so there is efficiency to gain if one could predict and prioritize spots particularly rich in unique alleles for collecting. A previous experiment that used AFLP markers to com...

Microsatellite variation and rare alleles in a bottlenecked Hawaiian Islands endemic: implications for reintroductions

USGS Publications Warehouse

Reynolds, Michelle H.; Pearce, John M.; Lavretsky, Philip; Seixas, Pedro P.; Courtot, Karen

2015-01-01

Conservation of genetic biodiversity in endangered wildlife populations is an important challenge to address since the loss of alleles and genetic drift may influence future adaptability. Reintroduction aims to re-establish species to restored or protected ecosystems; however, moving a subset of individuals may result in loss of gene variants during the management-induced bottleneck (i.e. translocation). The endangered Laysan teal Anas laysanensis was once widespread across the Hawaiian archipelago, but became isolated on Laysan Island (415 ha) from the mid-1800s until 2004 when a translocation to Midway Atoll (596 ha) was undertaken to reduce extinction risks. We compared genetic diversity and quantified variation at microsatellite loci sampled from 230 individuals from the wild populations at Laysan (1999 to 2009) and Midway (2007 to 2010; n = 133 Laysan, n = 96 Midway birds). We identified polymorphic markers by screening nuclear microsatellites (N = 83). Low nuclear variation was detected, consistent with the species’ insular isolation and historical bottleneck. Six of 83 microsatellites were polymorphic. We found limited but similar estimates of allelic richness (2.58 alleles per locus) and heterozygosity within populations. However, 2 rare alleles found in the Laysan source population were not present in Midway’s reintroduced population, and a unique allele was discovered in an individual on Midway. Differentiation between island populations was low (FST = 0.6%), but statistically significant. Our results indicate that genetic drift had little effect on offspring generations 3 to 6 yr post-release and demonstrate the utility of using known founder events to help quantify genetic capture during translocations and to inform management decisions.

Inter-monitor standard calibration and tests for Ar-Ar biases

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hemming, S. R.; Turrin, B. D.; Swisher, C. C.; Cox, S. E.; Mesko, G. T.; Chang, S.

2010-12-01

A major issue facing the geochronology community is that there are biases between chronometers that have become significant as we interrogate the rock record with ever increasing levels of precision. Despite much progress there are still major issues with building a timescale with multiple chronometers and for testing synchroneity of anomalous events in Earth history. Improvements in methods for determining U-Pb zircon dates has led to their application at precisions of 0.2% or better in rocks even younger than a million years (e.g., Crowley et al., 2007, Geology), and significantly better than 0.1% in some cases (e.g., Bowring et al., 2006, Paleontological Society Papers, Volume 12). Additionally, the inter-calibration experiments for U-Pb using the EARTHTIME tracer have yielded excellent agreement among labs (0.05%) and these values are traceable back to SI units through the EARTHTIME tracer calibration experiment (e.g., Condon et al., in press, Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta). These advances have greatly extended the need for cross calibrations of the two chronometers and ultimately seamless integration into the Geologic Time Scale. The direct comparison of ages using different chronometers and laboratories is the central aspect in the quest for a highly resolved and accurate time scale of Earth History. A significant obstacle to high precision inter-comparison of U-Pb and Ar-Ar age results is the current inability of Ar-Ar labs to achieve agreement on monitor standard ages at the 0.1% level. At the heart of Ar-Ar geochronology is the assumption of a known absolute age of a standard, to which all applicable unknowns are referenced. While individual labs are able to achieve highly precise apparent ages on monitor standards, the lack of a “gold standard” for Ar-Ar dating means that we do not know who is, or indeed if anybody is correct. In order to improve our understanding of factors that may lead to biases in our own laboratories at Lamont-Doherty Earth

Legacy K/Ar and 40Ar/39Ar geochronologic data from the Alaska-Aleutian Range batholith of south-central Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Koeneman, Lisa L.; Wilson, Frederic H.

2018-04-06

Sample descriptions and analytical data for more than 200 K/Ar and 40Ar/39Ar analyses from rocks of the Alaska-Aleutian Range batholith of south-central Alaska are reported here. Samples were collected over a period of 20 years by Bruce R. Reed and Marvin A. Lanphere (both U.S. Geological Survey) as part of their studies of the batholith.

40Ar/36Ar geochronology on a quadrupole mass spectrometer: Where are we going?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schneider, B.; Wijbrans, J. R.; Kuiper, K. F.; Fenton, C. R.; Williams, A. J.

2009-04-01

40Ar/39Ar analysis has passed many milestones since its first application (Wänke & König, 1959). From the early all-glass Reynolds-type vacuum system to today's high quality, bakeable all-metal piping and valve systems, the evolution of ultra high vacuum systems has been considerable. Extraction systems have faced similar changes over time. Early furnaces made partially of glass were later replaced by full metal constructs containing a high temperature resistant molybdenum alloy tube and heating mechanism, sometimes contained within an insulating secondary vacuum chamber. Laser extraction techniques further refined the approach allowing very small samples or sample parts to be analyzed. The principal type of mass spectrometer used for 40Ar/36Ar geochronology is the magnetic sector instrument, which has the resolution and sensitivity necessary for measuring argon isotopes and achieving high precision over a large age range. We present 40Ar/39Ar data from basalt samples collected from a number of different locations, all obtained using the Hiden HAL Series 1000 quadrupole mass spectrometer at Vrije University, Amsterdam. We show that quadrupole technology is not only a viable option in K-Ar geochronology (Rouchon et al., 2008) but also in 40Ar/39Ar geochronology. The data was obtained from groundmass hand-picked from 200-500 um size fractions. Sample amounts of 200 to 500 mg were used for incremental heating experiments. The quality of the data is demonstrated by convergence of plateau and isochron ages, replicate analyses and by comparison to results of independent studies. Sample ages range from 40 ka to 400 ka, demonstrating the potential of quadrupole instruments for dating even very young rocks using the 40Ar/39Ar incremental heating technique. Rouchon, V., Lefevre, J.-C., Quidelleur, X., Guerin, G., Gillot, P.-Y. (2008): Nonspiked 40Ar and 36Ar quantification using a quadrupole mass spectrometer: A potential for K-Ar geochronology. International Journal of

Ar-39-Ar-40 Ages of Euerites and the Thermal History of Asteroid 4-Vesta

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bogard, Donald D.; Garrison, Daniel H.

2002-01-01

Eucrite meteorites are igneous rocks that derive from a large asteroid, probably 4 Vesta. Prior studies have shown that after eucrites formed, most were subsequently metamorphosed to temperatures up to equal to or greater than 800 C, and much later many were brecciated and heated by large impacts into the parent body surface. The uncommon basaltic, unbrecciated eucrites also formed near the surface but presumably escaped later brecciation, whereas the cumulate eucrites formed at depth where metamorphism may have persisted for a considerable period. To further understand the complex HED parent body thermal history, we determined new Ar-39-Ar-40 ages for nine eucrites classified as basaltic but unbrecciated, six eucrites classified as cumulate, and several basaltic-brecciated eucrites. Relatively precise Ar-Ar ages of two cumulate eucrites (Moama and EET87520) and four unbrecciated eucrites give a tight cluster at 4.48 +/1 0.01 Gyr. Ar-Ar ages of six additional unbrecciated eucrites are consistent with this age, within their larger age uncertainties. In contrast, available literature data on Pb-Pb isochron ages of four cumulate eucrites and one unbrecciated eucrite vary over 4.4-4.515 Gyr, and Sm-147 - Nd-143 isochron ages of four cumulate and three unbrecciated eucrites vary over 4.41-4.55 Gyr. Similar Ar-Ar ages for cumulate and unbrecciated eucrites imply that cumulate eucrites do not have a younger formation age than basaltic eucrites, as previously proposed. Rather, we suggest that these cumulate and unbrecciated eucrites resided at depth where parent body temperatures were sufficiently high to cause the K-Ar and some other chronometers to remain open diffusion systems. From the strong clustering of Ar-Ar ages at approximately 4.48 Gyr, we propose that these meteorites were excavated from depth in a single large impact event approximately 4.48 Gyr ago, which quickly cooled the samples and started the K-Ar chronometer. A large (approximately 460 km) crater

An improved assay for the determination of Huntington`s disease allele size

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Reeves, C.; Klinger, K.; Miller, G.

1994-09-01

The hallmark of Huntington`s disease (HD) is the expansion of a polymorphic (CAG)n repeat. Several methods have been published describing PCR amplification of this region. Most of these assays require a complex PCR reaction mixture to amplify this GC-rich region. A consistent problem with trinucleotide repeat PCR amplification is the presence of a number of {open_quotes}stutter bands{close_quotes} which may be caused by primer or amplicon slippage during amplification or insufficient polymerase processivity. Most assays for HD arbitrarily select a particular band for diagnostic purposes. Without a clear choice for band selection such an arbitrary selection may result in inconsistent intra-more » or inter-laboratory findings. We present an improved protocol for the amplification of the HD trinucleotide repeat region. This method simplifies the PCR reaction buffer and results in a set of easily identifiable bands from which to determine allele size. HD alleles were identified by selecting bands of clearly greater signal intensity. Stutter banding was much reduced thus permitting easy identification of the most relevant PCR product. A second set of primers internal to the CCG polymorphism was used in selected samples to confirm allele size. The mechanism of action of N,N,N trimethylglycine in the PCR reaction is not clear. It may be possible that the minimal isostabilizing effect of N,N,N trimethylglycine at 2.5 M is significant enough to affect primer specificity. The use of N,N,N trimethylglycine in the PCR reaction facilitated identification of HD alleles and may be appropriate for use in other assays of this type.« less

Precise K-Ar, 40Ar/39Ar, Rb-Sr and U/Pb mineral ages from the 27.5 Ma fish canyon tuff reference standard

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lanphere, M.A.; Baadsgaard, H.

2001-01-01

The accuracy of ages measured using the 40Ar/39Ar technique is affected by uncertainties in the age of radiation fluence-monitor minerals. At present, there is lack of agreement about the ages of certain minerals used as fluence monitors. The accuracy of the age of a standard may be improved if the age can be measured using different decay schemes. This has been done by measuring ages on minerals from the Oligocene Fish Canyon Tuff (FCT) using the K-Ar, 40Ar/39Ar. Rb-Sr and U/Pb methods. K-Ar and 40Ar/39Ar total fusion ages of sanidine, biotite and hornblende yielded a mean age of 27.57 ?? 0.36 Ma. The weighted mean 40Ar/39Ar plateau age of sanidine and biotite is 27.57 ?? 0.18 Ma. A biotite-feldspar Rb-Sr isochron yielded an age of 27.44 ?? 0.16 Ma. The U-Pb data for zircon are complex because of the presence of Precambrian zircons and inheritance of radiogenic Pb. Zircons with 207Pb/235U < 0.4 yielded a discordia line with a lower concordia intercept of 27.52 ?? 0.09 Ma. Evaluation of the combined data suggests that the best age for FCT is 27.51 Ma. Published by Elsevier Science B.V.

Diversity of alleles encoding HLA-B40: relative frequencies in united states populations and description of five novel alleles.

PubMed

Pimtanothai, N; Rizzuto, G A; Slack, R; Steiner, N K; Kosman, C A; Jones, P F; Koester, R; Ng, J; Hartzman, R J; Katovich Hurley, C

2000-08-01

The frequency of each B*40 allele was determined by DNA sequencing in four major United States populations: Caucasians, African Americans, Asians/Pacific Islanders, and Hispanics. Thirty-two individuals from each ethnic group, who were previously described serologically as B40, B60, or B61, were randomly selected out of a pool of 82,979 unrelated individuals for allele characterization. Out of nine different B*40 alleles identified in this study, B*4001 and B*4002 were the two most frequent B*40 alleles in all the population groups. B*4001 was the primary B*40 allele seen in Caucasians (83%) and African Americans (76%), while B*4002 was found in the majority of Hispanics (62%). The distributions of both alleles were comparable in the Asian/Pacific Islander population. These two alleles were the only B*40 alleles detected in Caucasians while four to five additional B*40 alleles were seen in the other population groups. The other B*40 alleles detected in this study included: B*4003 and B*4010 in Asian/Pacific Islanders; B*4012 and B*4016 in African Americans; and B*4004, B*4006, and B*4027 in Hispanics. Analysis revealed significant differences between Hispanics and all other groups as well as between African Americans and Asian/Pacific Islanders. This report also describes five novel B*40 alleles: B*4019, B*4020, B*4024, B*4027, and B*4028.

Newly combined 40Ar/39Ar and U-Pb ages of the Upper Cretaceous timescale from Hokkaido, Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gaylor, J. R.; Heredia, B. D.; Quidelleur, X.; Takashima, R.; Nishi, H.; Mezger, K.

2011-12-01

The main targets for GTS next project (www.gtsnext.eu) are to develop highly refined geological time scales, including the Upper Cretaceous. The Cretaceous period is characterised by numerous global anoxic events in the marine realm, rich ammonitic fossil assemblages and specialised foraminifera. However, lack of age diagnostic macro and micro fossils in the North Pacific sections has made it difficult to link these with global sections such as the Western Interior Basin (North America). Using advances with terrestrial C-isotope and planktic foraminifera records within Central Hokkaido we are able to correlate these sections globally. The Cretaceous Yezo group in Central Hokkaido comprises deep marine mudstones and turbidite sandstones interbedded with acidic volcanic tuffs. Using various sections within the Yezo group, we radiometrically dated tuffs at the main stage boundaries in the Upper Cretaceous. The samples derive from the Kotanbetsu, Shumarinai, Tiomiuchi and the Hakkin river sections, spanning the time from the Albian-Cenomanian up until the Campanian-Santonian boundaries, and were dated using 40Ar/39Ar, K/Ar and U-Pb techniques. Recent age constraints in the Hokkaido counterparts (Kotanbetsu sections) show good coherence between radiometric chronometers on the various Upper Cretaceous stage boundaries. These additional ages together with our isotope ages from the different sections around the Hokkaido basin are well linked by the various faunal assemblages and C-isotope curves. The combined radio isotope ages contribute to previous attempts (such as those focused in the Western Interior Basin) supporting the synchronicity of events such as global oceanic anoxic events. Finally, the ages obtained here also compliment the previous C-isotope and planktic foraminifera records allowing for a more precise climatic history of the Northwest Pacific during the Cretaceous. The research within the GTSnext project is funded by the European Community's Seventh

Estimated allele substitution effects underlying genomic evaluation models depend on the scaling of allele counts.

PubMed

Bouwman, Aniek C; Hayes, Ben J; Calus, Mario P L

2017-10-30

Genomic evaluation is used to predict direct genomic values (DGV) for selection candidates in breeding programs, but also to estimate allele substitution effects (ASE) of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Scaling of allele counts influences the estimated ASE, because scaling of allele counts results in less shrinkage towards the mean for low minor allele frequency (MAF) variants. Scaling may become relevant for estimating ASE as more low MAF variants will be used in genomic evaluations. We show the impact of scaling on estimates of ASE using real data and a theoretical framework, and in terms of power, model fit and predictive performance. In a dairy cattle dataset with 630 K SNP genotypes, the correlation between DGV for stature from a random regression model using centered allele counts (RRc) and centered and scaled allele counts (RRcs) was 0.9988, whereas the overall correlation between ASE using RRc and RRcs was 0.27. The main difference in ASE between both methods was found for SNPs with a MAF lower than 0.01. Both the ratio (ASE from RRcs/ASE from RRc) and the regression coefficient (regression of ASE from RRcs on ASE from RRc) were much higher than 1 for low MAF SNPs. Derived equations showed that scenarios with a high heritability, a large number of individuals and a small number of variants have lower ratios between ASE from RRc and RRcs. We also investigated the optimal scaling parameter [from - 1 (RRcs) to 0 (RRc) in steps of 0.1] in the bovine stature dataset. We found that the log-likelihood was maximized with a scaling parameter of - 0.8, while the mean squared error of prediction was minimized with a scaling parameter of - 1, i.e., RRcs. Large differences in estimated ASE were observed for low MAF SNPs when allele counts were scaled or not scaled because there is less shrinkage towards the mean for scaled allele counts. We derived a theoretical framework that shows that the difference in ASE due to shrinkage is heavily influenced by the

The Effects of Androgens on Murine Cortical Bone Do Not Require AR or ERα Signaling in Osteoblasts and Osteoclasts.

PubMed

Ucer, Serra; Iyer, Srividhya; Bartell, Shoshana M; Martin-Millan, Marta; Han, Li; Kim, Ha-Neui; Weinstein, Robert S; Jilka, Robert L; O'Brien, Charles A; Almeida, Maria; Manolagas, Stavros C

2015-07-01

In men, androgens are critical for the acquisition and maintenance of bone mass in both the cortical and cancellous bone compartment. Male mice with targeted deletion of the androgen receptor (AR) in mature osteoblasts or osteocytes have lower cancellous bone mass, but no cortical bone phenotype. We have investigated the possibility that the effects of androgens on the cortical compartment result from AR signaling in osteoprogenitors or cells of the osteoclast lineage; or via estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) signaling in either or both of these two cell types upon conversion of testosterone to estradiol. To this end, we generated mice with targeted deletion of an AR or an ERα allele in the mesenchymal (AR(f/y);Prx1-Cre or ERα(f/f);Osx1-Cre) or myeloid cell lineage (AR(f/y);LysM-Cre or ERα(f/f);LysM-Cre) and their descendants. Male AR(f/y);Prx1-Cre mice exhibited decreased bone volume and trabecular number, and increased osteoclast number in the cancellous compartment. Moreover, they did not undergo the loss of cancellous bone volume and trabecular number caused by orchidectomy (ORX) in their littermate controls. In contrast, AR(f/y);LysM-Cre, ERα(f/f);Osx1-Cre, or ERα(f/f);LysM-Cre mice had no cancellous bone phenotype at baseline and lost the same amount of cancellous bone as their controls following ORX. Most unexpectedly, adult males of all four models had no discernible cortical bone phenotype at baseline, and lost the same amount of cortical bone as their littermate controls after ORX. Recapitulation of the effects of ORX by AR deletion only in the AR(f/y);Prx1-Cre mice indicates that the effects of androgens on cancellous bone result from AR signaling in osteoblasts-not on osteoclasts or via aromatization. The effects of androgens on cortical bone mass, on the other hand, do not require AR or ERα signaling in any cell type across the osteoblast or osteoclast differentiation lineage. Therefore, androgens must exert their effects indirectly by actions on

Oldest human footprints dated by Ar/Ar

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scaillet, Stéphane; Vita-Scaillet, Grazia; Guillou, Hervé

2008-11-01

Fossilized human trackways are extremely rare in the geologic record. These bear indirect but invaluable testimony of human/hominid locomotion in open air settings and can provide critical information on biomechanical changes relating to bipedalism evolution throughout the primitive human lineage. Among these, the "Devil's footsteps" represent one of the best preserved human footprints suite recovered so far in a Pleistocene volcanic ash of the Roccamonfina volcano (southern Italy). Until recently, the age of these footprints remained speculative and indirectly correlated with a loosely dated caldera-forming eruption that produced the Brown Leucitic Tuff. Despite extensive hydrothermal alteration of the pyroclastic deposit and variable contamination with excess 40Ar, detailed and selective 40Ar/ 39Ar laser probe analysis of single leucite crystals recovered from the ash deposit shows that the pyroclastic layer and the footprints are 345 ± 6 kyr old (1 σ), confirming for the first time that these are the oldest human trackways ever dated, and that they were presumably left by the modern human predecessor, Homo heidelbergensis, close to Climatic Termination IV.

AR Signaling in Breast Cancer.

PubMed

Rahim, Bilal; O'Regan, Ruth

2017-02-24

Androgen receptor (AR, a member of the steroid hormone receptor family) status has become increasingly important as both a prognostic marker and potential therapeutic target in breast cancer. AR is expressed in up to 90% of estrogen receptor (ER) positive breast cancer, and to a lesser degree, human epidermal growth factor 2 (HER2) amplified tumors. In the former, AR signaling has been correlated with a better prognosis given its inhibitory activity in estrogen dependent disease, though conversely has also been shown to increase resistance to anti-estrogen therapies such as tamoxifen. AR blockade can mitigate this resistance, and thus serves as a potential target in ER-positive breast cancer. In HER2 amplified breast cancer, studies are somewhat conflicting, though most show either no effect or are associated with poorer survival. Much of the available data on AR signaling is in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), which is an aggressive disease with inferior outcomes comparative to other breast cancer subtypes. At present, there are no approved targeted therapies in TNBC, making study of the AR signaling pathway compelling. Gene expression profiling studies have also identified a luminal androgen receptor (LAR) subtype that is dependent on AR signaling in TNBC. Regardless, there seems to be an association between AR expression and improved outcomes in TNBC. Despite lower pathologic complete response (pCR) rates with neoadjuvant therapy, patients with AR-expressing TNBC have been shown to have a better prognosis than those that are AR-negative. Clinical studies targeting AR have shown somewhat promising results. In this paper we review the literature on the biology of AR in breast cancer and its prognostic and predictive roles. We also present our thoughts on therapeutic strategies.

AR Signaling in Breast Cancer

PubMed Central

Rahim, Bilal; O’Regan, Ruth

2017-01-01

Androgen receptor (AR, a member of the steroid hormone receptor family) status has become increasingly important as both a prognostic marker and potential therapeutic target in breast cancer. AR is expressed in up to 90% of estrogen receptor (ER) positive breast cancer, and to a lesser degree, human epidermal growth factor 2 (HER2) amplified tumors. In the former, AR signaling has been correlated with a better prognosis given its inhibitory activity in estrogen dependent disease, though conversely has also been shown to increase resistance to anti-estrogen therapies such as tamoxifen. AR blockade can mitigate this resistance, and thus serves as a potential target in ER-positive breast cancer. In HER2 amplified breast cancer, studies are somewhat conflicting, though most show either no effect or are associated with poorer survival. Much of the available data on AR signaling is in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), which is an aggressive disease with inferior outcomes comparative to other breast cancer subtypes. At present, there are no approved targeted therapies in TNBC, making study of the AR signaling pathway compelling. Gene expression profiling studies have also identified a luminal androgen receptor (LAR) subtype that is dependent on AR signaling in TNBC. Regardless, there seems to be an association between AR expression and improved outcomes in TNBC. Despite lower pathologic complete response (pCR) rates with neoadjuvant therapy, patients with AR-expressing TNBC have been shown to have a better prognosis than those that are AR-negative. Clinical studies targeting AR have shown somewhat promising results. In this paper we review the literature on the biology of AR in breast cancer and its prognostic and predictive roles. We also present our thoughts on therapeutic strategies. PMID:28245550

40Ar/39Ar ages of the AD 79 eruption of Vesuvius, Italy

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lanphere, Marvin A.; Champion, Duane E.; Melluso, Leone; Morra, Vincenzo; Perrotta, Annamaria; Scarpati, Claudio; Tedesco, Dario; Calvert, Andrew T.

2007-01-01

The Italian volcano, Vesuvius, erupted explosively in AD 79. Sanidine from pumice collected at Casti Amanti in Pompeii and Villa Poppea in Oplontis yielded a weighted-mean 40Ar/39Ar age of 1925±66 years in 2004 (1σ uncertainty) from incremental-heating experiments of eight aliquants of sanidine. This is the calendar age of the eruption. Our results together with the work of Renne et al. (1997) and Renne and Min (1998) demonstrate the validity of the 40Ar/39Ar method to reconstruct the recent eruptive history of young, active volcanoes.

In-situ Ar isotope, 40Ar/39Ar analysis and mineral chemistry of nosean in the phonolite from Olbrück volcano, East Eifel volcanic field, Germany: Implication for the source of excess 40Ar

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sudo, Masafumi; Altenberger, Uwe; Günter, Christina

2014-05-01

Since the report by Lippolt et al. (1990), hauyne and nosean phenocrysts in certain phonolites from the northwest in the Quaternary East Eifel volcanic field in Germany were known to contain significant amounts of excess 40Ar, thus, show apparent older ages than the other minerals. However, its petrographic meaning have not been well known. Meanwhile, Sumino et al. (2008) has identified the source of the excess 40Ar in the plagioclase phenocrysts from the historic Unzen dacite lava as the melt inclusions in the zones parallely developed to the plagioclase rim by in-situ laser Ar isotope analysis. In order to obtain eruption ages of very young volcanoes as like Quaternary Eifel volcanic field by the K-Ar system, it is quite essential to know about the location of excess 40Ar in volcanic rocks. We have collected phonolites from the Olbrück volcano in East Eifel and investigated its petrography and mineral chemistry and also performed in-situ Ar isotope analyses of unirradiated rock section sample and also in-situ 40Ar/39Ar analysis of neutron irradiated section sample with the UV pulse laser (wavelength 266 nm) and 40Ar/39Ar analytical system of the University of Potsdam. Petrographically, nosean contained fine melt and/or gas inclusions of less than 5 micrometer, which mostly distribute linearly and are relatively enriched in chlorine than the areas without inclusions. Solid inclusions of similar sizes contain CaO and fluorine. In nosean, typically around 5 wt% of sulfur is contained. The 40Ar/39Ar dating was also performed to leucite, sanidine and groundmass in the same section for comparison of those ages with that of nosean. In each analysis, 200 micrometer of beam size was used for making a pit with depth of up to 300 micrometer by laser ablation. As our 40Ar/39Ar analyses were conducted one and half year after the neutron irradiation, thus, short lived 37Ar derived from Ca had decayed very much, we measured Ca and K contents in nosean by SEM-EDS then applied

Discordant K-Ar and Young Exposure Dates for the Windjana Sandstone, Kimberley, Gale Crater, Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vasconcelos, P. M.; Farley, K. A.; Malespin, C. A.; Mahaffy, P.; Ming, D.; McLennan, S. M.; Hurowitz, J. A.; Rice, Melissa S.

2016-01-01

K-Ar and noble gas surface exposure age measurements were carried out on the Windjana sandstone, Kimberley region, Gale Crater, Mars, by using the Sample Analysis at Mars instrument on the Curiosity rover. The sandstone is unusually rich in sanidine, as determined by CheMin X-ray diffraction, contributing to the high K2O concentration of 3.09 +/- 0.20 wt % measured by Alpha-Particle X-ray Spectrometer analysis. A sandstone aliquot heated to approximately 915 C yielded a K-Ar age of 627 +/- 50 Ma. Reheating this aliquot yielded no additional Ar. A second aliquot heated in the same way yielded a much higher K-Ar age of 1710 +/- 110 Ma. These data suggest incomplete Ar extraction from a rock with a K-Ar age older than 1710 Ma. Incomplete extraction at approximately 900 C is not surprising for a rock with a large fraction of K carried by Ar-retentive K-feldspar. Likely, variability in the exact temperature achieved by the sample from run to run, uncertainties in sample mass estimation, and possible mineral fractionation during transport and storage prior to analysis may contribute to these discrepant data. Cosmic ray exposure ages from He-3 and Ne-21 in the two aliquots are minimum values given the possibility of incomplete extraction. However, the general similarity between the He-3 (57 +/- 49 and 18 +/- 32 Ma, mean 30 Ma) and Ne-21 (2 +/- 32 and 83 +/- 24 Ma, mean 54 Ma) exposure ages provides no evidence for underextraction. The implied erosion rate at the Kimberley location is similar to that reported at the nearby Yellowknife Bay outcrop.

40Ar/39Ar Temporal Constraints on Eocene Uplift, Subsidence, and Paleohydrology in the Laramide Foreland, Western U. S.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, M. E.; Carroll, A. R.; Singer, B. S.

2004-12-01

Due to their sensitivity to relatively subtle changes in regional drainage patterns, Eocene lake deposits of the Green River Formation offer a unique and richly detailed record of landscape modification caused by orogenic processes in the broken foreland of the western U. S. Recently obtained 40Ar/39Ar age determinations for 22 interbedded tephras provide excellent temporal resolution of this record, and enable inter-basin correlations at an unprecedented level of precision (approaching 2σ uncertainties of ± k.y.). Green River Formation strata span an interval of ~8 m.y., beginning and ending with freshwater fluvial-lacustrine deposits. Two episodes of regional basin closure and evaporite deposition, each lasting ˜1-2 m.y., coincide with evidence for active Laramide faulting at basin margins and increased rates of sediment accumulation. Evaporite deposition therefore appears to have been principally caused by enhanced uplift of basin sills rather than increased aridity. Regional stratigraphic relations, facies types, and 40Ar/39Ar geochronology permit deduction of the following paleodrainage history: 1) > ˜51.3 Ma: Fluvial-lacustrine deposition occurred in greater Green River, Piceance Creek and Uinta basins. The onset of lacustrine deposition is not well-dated due to a paucity of tephras. 2) ˜51.3-49.7 Ma: The greater Green River and Piceance Creek basins both became terminal sinks that received overflow from neighboring freshwater basins. Coarse clastic basin-marginal alluvial strata, cross-cutting fault relations, and pronounced differential subsidence in both basins indicate active uplift of the Uinta Mountains and surrounding ranges. 3) ˜49.7-49.1 Ma: Lake Gosiute expanded in extent, coincident with an influx of water and sediment derived from volcanic centers to the north. Episodic overflow over the eastern Uinta uplift flushed dissolved solutes southward, freshening Lake Gosiute while evaporite deposition continued in Lake Uinta. 4) ˜49.1-48.4 Ma

Ar-Ar Dating of Martian Meteorite, Dhofar 378: An Early Shock Event?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Park, J.; Bogard, D. D.

2006-01-01

Martian meteorite, Dhofar 378 (Dho378) is a basaltic shergottite from Oman, weighing 15 g, and possessing a black fusion crust. Chemical similarities between Dho378 and the Los Angeles 001 shergottite suggests that they might have derived from the same Mars locale. The plagioclase in other shergottites has been converted to maskelenite by shock, but Dho378 apparently experienced even more intense shock heating, estimated at 55-75 GPa. Dho378 feldspar (approximately 43 modal %) melted, partially flowed and vesiculated, and then partially recrystallized. Areas of feldspathic glass are appreciably enriched in K, whereas individual plagioclases show a range in the Or/An ratio of approximately 0.18-0.017. Radiometric dating of martian shergottites indicate variable formation times of 160-475 Myr, whereas cosmic ray exposure (CRE) ages of shergottites indicate most were ejected from Mars within the past few Myr. Most determined Ar-39-Ar-40 ages of shergottites appear older than other radiometric ages because of the presence of large amounts of martian atmosphere or interior Ar-40. Among all types of meteorites and returned lunar rocks, the impact event that initiated the CRE age very rarely reset the Ar-Ar age. This is because a minimum time and temperature is required to facilitate Ar diffusion loss. It is generally assumed that the shock-texture characteristics in martian meteorites were produced by the impact events that ejected the rocks from Mars, although the time of these shock events (as opposed to CRE ages) are not directly dated. Here we report Ar-39-Ar-40 dating of Dho378 plagioclase. We suggest that the determined age dates the intense shock heating event this meteorite experienced, but that it was not the impact that initiated the CRE age.

Androgen Receptor-Mediated Growth Suppression of HPr-1AR and PC3-Lenti-AR Prostate Epithelial Cells

PubMed Central

Bolton, Eric C.

2015-01-01

The androgen receptor (AR) mediates the developmental, physiologic, and pathologic effects of androgens including 5α-dihydrotestosterone (DHT). However, the mechanisms whereby AR regulates growth suppression and differentiation of luminal epithelial cells in the prostate gland and proliferation of malignant versions of these cells are not well understood, though they are central to prostate development, homeostasis, and neoplasia. Here, we identify androgen-responsive genes that restrain cell cycle progression and proliferation of human prostate epithelial cell lines (HPr-1AR and PC3-Lenti-AR), and we investigate the mechanisms through which AR regulates their expression. DHT inhibited proliferation of HPr-1AR and PC3-Lenti-AR, and cell cycle analysis revealed a prolonged G1 interval. In the cell cycle, the G1/S-phase transition is initiated by the activity of cyclin D and cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) complexes, which relieve growth suppression. In HPr-1AR, cyclin D1/2 and CDK4/6 mRNAs were androgen-repressed, whereas CDK inhibitor, CDKN1A, mRNA was androgen-induced. The regulation of these transcripts was AR-dependent, and involved multiple mechanisms. Similar AR-mediated down-regulation of CDK4/6 mRNAs and up-regulation of CDKN1A mRNA occurred in PC3-Lenti-AR. Further, CDK4/6 overexpression suppressed DHT-inhibited cell cycle progression and proliferation of HPr-1AR and PC3-Lenti-AR, whereas CDKN1A overexpression induced cell cycle arrest. We therefore propose that AR-mediated growth suppression of HPr-1AR involves cyclin D1 mRNA decay, transcriptional repression of cyclin D2 and CDK4/6, and transcriptional activation of CDKN1A, which serve to decrease CDK4/6 activity. AR-mediated inhibition of PC3-Lenti-AR proliferation occurs through a similar mechanism, albeit without down-regulation of cyclin D. Our findings provide insight into AR-mediated regulation of prostate epithelial cell proliferation. PMID:26372468

Allelic barley MLA immune receptors recognize sequence-unrelated avirulence effectors of the powdery mildew pathogen

PubMed Central

Lu, Xunli; Kracher, Barbara; Saur, Isabel M. L.; Bauer, Saskia; Ellwood, Simon R.; Wise, Roger; Yaeno, Takashi; Maekawa, Takaki; Schulze-Lefert, Paul

2016-01-01

Disease-resistance genes encoding intracellular nucleotide-binding domain and leucine-rich repeat proteins (NLRs) are key components of the plant innate immune system and typically detect the presence of isolate-specific avirulence (AVR) effectors from pathogens. NLR genes define the fastest-evolving gene family of flowering plants and are often arranged in gene clusters containing multiple paralogs, contributing to copy number and allele-specific NLR variation within a host species. Barley mildew resistance locus a (Mla) has been subject to extensive functional diversification, resulting in allelic resistance specificities each recognizing a cognate, but largely unidentified, AVRa gene of the powdery mildew fungus, Blumeria graminis f. sp. hordei (Bgh). We applied a transcriptome-wide association study among 17 Bgh isolates containing different AVRa genes and identified AVRa1 and AVRa13, encoding candidate-secreted effectors recognized by Mla1 and Mla13 alleles, respectively. Transient expression of the effector genes in barley leaves or protoplasts was sufficient to trigger Mla1 or Mla13 allele-specific cell death, a hallmark of NLR receptor-mediated immunity. AVRa1 and AVRa13 are phylogenetically unrelated, demonstrating that certain allelic MLA receptors evolved to recognize sequence-unrelated effectors. They are ancient effectors because corresponding loci are present in wheat powdery mildew. AVRA1 recognition by barley MLA1 is retained in transgenic Arabidopsis, indicating that AVRA1 directly binds MLA1 or that its recognition involves an evolutionarily conserved host target of AVRA1. Furthermore, analysis of transcriptome-wide sequence variation among the Bgh isolates provides evidence for Bgh population structure that is partially linked to geographic isolation. PMID:27702901

Allelic barley MLA immune receptors recognize sequence-unrelated avirulence effectors of the powdery mildew pathogen.

PubMed

Lu, Xunli; Kracher, Barbara; Saur, Isabel M L; Bauer, Saskia; Ellwood, Simon R; Wise, Roger; Yaeno, Takashi; Maekawa, Takaki; Schulze-Lefert, Paul

2016-10-18

Disease-resistance genes encoding intracellular nucleotide-binding domain and leucine-rich repeat proteins (NLRs) are key components of the plant innate immune system and typically detect the presence of isolate-specific avirulence (AVR) effectors from pathogens. NLR genes define the fastest-evolving gene family of flowering plants and are often arranged in gene clusters containing multiple paralogs, contributing to copy number and allele-specific NLR variation within a host species. Barley mildew resistance locus a (Mla) has been subject to extensive functional diversification, resulting in allelic resistance specificities each recognizing a cognate, but largely unidentified, AVR a gene of the powdery mildew fungus, Blumeria graminis f. sp. hordei (Bgh). We applied a transcriptome-wide association study among 17 Bgh isolates containing different AVR a genes and identified AVR a1 and AVR a13 , encoding candidate-secreted effectors recognized by Mla1 and Mla13 alleles, respectively. Transient expression of the effector genes in barley leaves or protoplasts was sufficient to trigger Mla1 or Mla13 allele-specific cell death, a hallmark of NLR receptor-mediated immunity. AVR a1 and AVR a13 are phylogenetically unrelated, demonstrating that certain allelic MLA receptors evolved to recognize sequence-unrelated effectors. They are ancient effectors because corresponding loci are present in wheat powdery mildew. AVR A1 recognition by barley MLA1 is retained in transgenic Arabidopsis, indicating that AVR A1 directly binds MLA1 or that its recognition involves an evolutionarily conserved host target of AVR A1 Furthermore, analysis of transcriptome-wide sequence variation among the Bgh isolates provides evidence for Bgh population structure that is partially linked to geographic isolation.

AtDMC1, the Arabidopsis homologue of the yeast DMC1 gene: characterization, transposon-induced allelic variation and meiosis-associated expression.

PubMed

Klimyuk, V I; Jones, J D

1997-01-01

Based on homologies between the yeast DMC1 and the lily LIM15 meiosis-specific genes, degenerate PCR primers were designed that amplified the Arabidopsis DMC1 gene (AtDMC1). AtDMC1 genomic DNA (8 kb) was sequenced, and the transcript was characterized by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and by 5' and 3' RACE (rapid amplification of cDNA ends). The AtDMC1 gene contains 15 exons and 14 introns. RNA in situ hybridization analysis showed that expression of the AtDMC1 is restricted to pollen mother cells in anthers and to megaspore mother cells in ovules. The AtDMC1 promoter was fused to the GUS reporter gene, and conferred meiosis-associated expression in both male and female floral lineages. Comparison of AtDMC1 isolated from Landsberg erecta ecotype to its Columbia allele ArLIM15, revealed the presence of a 1874 bp transposon-like element within the promoter region of ArLIM15. RT-PCR analysis showed that the expression levels of AtDMC1 and ArLIM15 are similar. Possible uses for the AtDMC1 promoter are discussed.

Structural evolution in Ar+ implanted Si-rich silicon oxide

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brusa, R. S.; Karwasz, G. P.; Mariotto, G.; Zecca, A.; Ferragut, R.; Folegati, P.; Dupasquier, A.; Ottaviani, G.; Tonini, R.

2003-12-01

Silicon-rich silicon oxide films were deposited by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition. Energy was released into the film by ion bombardment, with the aim of promoting formation of Si nanoclusters and reordering the oxide matrix. The effect of the initial stoichiometry, as well as the evolution of the oxide films due to the ion bombardment and to subsequent thermal treatments, has been studied by depth-resolved positron annihilation Doppler spectroscopy, Raman scattering and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. As-deposited films were found to contain an open volume fraction in the form of subnanometric cavities that are positively correlated with oxygen deficiency. No Si aggregates were observed. The ion bombardment was found to promote the formation of amorphous Si nanoclusters, together with a reduction of the open volume in the matrix and a substantial release of hydrogen. It also leaves electrically active sites in the oxide and produces gas-filled vacancy defects in the substrate, with the concentrations depending on the implantation temperature. Thermal treatment at 500 °C removes charge defects in the oxide, but vacancy defects are not completely annealed even at 1100 °C. In one case, heating at 1100 °C produced cavities of about 0.6 nm in the oxide. Transformation of Si nanoclusters into nanocrystals is observed to occur from 800 °C.

40Ar/39Ar ages of the AD 79 eruption of Vesuvius, Italy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lanphere, Marvin; Champion, Duane; Melluso, Leone; Morra, Vincenzo; Perrotta, Annamaria; Scarpati, Claudio; Tedesco, Dario; Calvert, Andrew

2007-01-01

The Italian volcano, Vesuvius, erupted explosively in AD 79. Sanidine from pumice collected at Casti Amanti in Pompeii and Villa Poppea in Oplontis yielded a weighted-mean 40Ar/39Ar age of 1925±66 years in 2004 (1σ uncertainty) from incremental-heating experiments of eight aliquants of sanidine. This is the calendar age of the eruption. Our results together with the work of Renne et al. (1997) and Renne and Min (1998) demonstrate the validity of the 40Ar/39Ar method to reconstruct the recent eruptive history of young, active volcanoes.

Paleotemperatures at the lunar surfaces from open system behavior of cosmogenic 38Ar and radiogenic 40Ar

DOE PAGES

Shuster, David L.; Cassata, William S.

2015-02-10

The simultaneous diffusion of both cosmogenic 38Ar and radiogenic 40Ar from solid phases is controlled by the thermal conditions of rocks while residing near planetary surfaces. Combined observations of 38Ar/ 37Ar and 40Ar/ 39Ar ratios during stepwise degassing analyses of neutron-irradiated Apollo samples can distinguish between diffusive loss of Ar due to solar heating of the rocks and that associated with elevated temperatures during or following impact events; the data provide quantitative constraints on the durations and temperatures of each process. From sequentially degassed 38Ar/ 37Ar ratios can be calculated a spectrum of apparent 38Ar exposure ages versus the cumulativemore » release fraction of 37Ar, which is particularly sensitive to conditions at the lunar surface typically over ~106–108 year timescales. Due to variable proportions of K- and Ca-bearing glass, plagioclase and pyroxene, with variability in the grain sizes of these phases, each sample will have distinct sensitivity to, and therefore different resolving power on, past near-surface thermal conditions. Furthermore, we present the underlying assumptions, and the analytical and numerical methods used to quantify the Ar diffusion kinetics in multi-phase whole-rock analyses that provide these constraints.« less

Ar-39-Ar-40 Age Dating Of Two Angrites and Two Brachinites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Garrison, Daniel; Bogard, Donald

2003-01-01

Angrites are a rare group (approximately 7 known) of igneous meteorites with basalt-like composition, which probably derive from a relatively small parent body that differs from those of other igneous meteorites. Angrites show evidence for extinct Mn-53, Sm-146, and Pu-244, and precise U-Pb, and Pb-Pb ages of 4.558 Gyr for two angrites define the time of early parent body differentiation. The Sm-147-Nd-143 ages of two angrites range between 4.53 +/- 0.04 and 4.56 +/- 0.04 Gyr, but no Ar-39-Ar-40 or Rb-Sr ages have been reported. Most angrites show no evidence for either shock brecciation or metamorphism. Brachinites are another very rare group' of differentiated meteorites consisting primarily of olivine, with minor augite, chromite, Fe-sulfides, and sometimes plagioclase and opx. Presence of excess Xe-129 and excess Cr53 from decay of Mn-53 in some brachinites indicate that they also formed very early. Brachinite petrogenesis is poorly defined. They may be igneous cumulates or metamorphic products of chondritic-like starting material. If after their formation, angrites and brachinites cooled quickly with minimal subsequent heating, then one might expect them to show uniquely old K-Ar ages, at least in comparison to other differentiated meteorites such as eucrites and mesosiderites. Most angrites and brachinites contain very little, if any K-feldspar, which has deterred measurements of their Ar-Ar ages. We made Ar-39-Ar-40 analyses on two angrites, LEW86010 (metamorphosed) and D'Orbigny, and on two brachinites, EET99402 and Brachina. All are finds. Any feldspar in angrites is highly calcic, with expected K concentrations of <100 ppm. We selected LEW86010 and D'Orbigny because they have been the objects of several other studies and because chemical analyses suggested [K] was approximately 70 ppm in both meteorites. Brachina contains approximately 9.9% plagioclase of higher K-content than angrites, and EET99402 is estimated to contain approximately 5% K

Evolutionary dynamics of sporophytic self-incompatibility alleles in plants.

PubMed

Schierup, M H; Vekemans, X; Christiansen, F B

1997-10-01

The stationary frequency distribution and allelic dynamics in finite populations are analyzed through stochastic simulations in three models of single-locus, multi-allelic sporophytic self-incompatibility. The models differ in the dominance relationships among alleles. In one model, alleles act codominantly in both pollen and style (SSIcod), in the second, alleles form a dominance hierarchy in pollen and style (SSIdom). In the third model, alleles interact codominantly in the style and form a dominance hierarchy in the pollen (SSIdomcod). The SSIcod model behaves similarly to the model of gametophytic self-incompatibility, but the selection intensity is stronger. With dominance, dominant alleles invade the population more easily than recessive alleles and have a lower frequency at equilibrium. In the SSIdom model, recessive alleles have both a higher allele frequency and higher expected life span. In the SSIdomcod model, however, loss due to drift occurs more easily for pollen-recessive than for pollen-dominant alleles, and therefore, dominant alleles have a higher expected life span than the more recessive alleles. The process of allelic turnover in the SSIdomcod and SSIdom models is closely approximated by a random walk on a dominance ladder. Implications of the results for experimental studies of sporophytic self-incompatibility in natural populations are discussed.

Noble gases in CH 4-rich gas fields, Alberta, Canada

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hiyagon, H.; Kennedy, B. M.

1992-04-01

The elemental and isotopic compositions of helium, neon, argon, and xenon in twenty-one CH 4-rich natural gas samples from Cretaceous and Devonian reservoirs in the Alberta, Canada, sedimentary basin were measured. In all but a few cases, radiogenic ( 4He, 40Ar, and 131-136Xe) and nucleogenic ( 21,22Ne) isotopes dominated. Based solely on the noble gas composition, two types of natural gas reservoirs are identified. One (Group B) is highly enriched in radiogenic-nucleogenic noble gases and varies little in composition: 3He /4He = 1.5 ± 0.5 × 10 -8, 40Ar /36Ar = 5000-6500 , 40∗Ar /4He = 0.10 , 136∗Xe /4He ~ 0.7 × 10 -9, and 21∗Ne /22∗Ne = 0.452 ± 0.041 (∗ denotes radiogenic or nucleogenic origin; all 4He is radiogenic). High nitrogen content with 4He /N 2 ~ 0.06 is also characteristic of Group B samples. The remaining samples (Group A) contain a radiogenic-nucleogenic component with a different composition and, relative to Group B samples, the extent of enrichment in this component is less and more variable: 3He /4He = 10-70 × 10 -8, 40Ar /36Ar < 1550 , and 40∗Ar /4He ~ 0.25 . The composition of Group B radiogenic-nucleogenic noble gases is consistent with production in crust of average composition. Enrichment in Group B noble gases and nitrogen increases with proximity to the underlying Precambrian basement, consistent with a present-day mass flux into the overlying sedimentary basin. Inferred 40∗Ar /136∗Xe 4He ratios imply a basement source enriched in thorium relative to uranium and potassium (Th/U > 20). Combined, the overall lower total radiogenic-nucleogenic content of Group A reservoirs, the greater variability in composition, and the appearance of Group A noble gases in reservoirs higher in the sedimentary sequence relative to the underlying basement implies that the Group A radiogenic-nucleogenic noble gases are indigenous to the sediments. The most interesting aspect of the Group A noble gases are the very high 3He /4He ratios; ~ 10

Identification of an AR Mutation-Negative Class of Androgen Insensitivity by Determining Endogenous AR Activity.

PubMed

Hornig, N C; Ukat, M; Schweikert, H U; Hiort, O; Werner, R; Drop, S L S; Cools, M; Hughes, I A; Audi, L; Ahmed, S F; Demiri, J; Rodens, P; Worch, L; Wehner, G; Kulle, A E; Dunstheimer, D; Müller-Roßberg, E; Reinehr, T; Hadidi, A T; Eckstein, A K; van der Horst, C; Seif, C; Siebert, R; Ammerpohl, O; Holterhus, P-M

2016-11-01

Only approximately 85% of patients with a clinical diagnosis complete androgen insensitivity syndrome and less than 30% with partial androgen insensitivity syndrome can be explained by inactivating mutations in the androgen receptor (AR) gene. The objective of the study was to clarify this discrepancy by in vitro determination of AR transcriptional activity in individuals with disorders of sex development (DSD) and male controls. Quantification of DHT-dependent transcriptional induction of the AR target gene apolipoprotein D (APOD) in cultured genital fibroblasts (GFs) (APOD assay) and next-generation sequencing of the complete coding and noncoding AR locus. The study was conducted at a university hospital endocrine research laboratory. GFs from 169 individuals were studied encompassing control males (n = 68), molecular defined DSD other than androgen insensitivity syndrome (AIS; n = 18), AR mutation-positive AIS (n = 37), and previously undiagnosed DSD including patients with a clinical suspicion of AIS (n = 46). There were no interventions. DHT-dependent APOD expression in cultured GF and AR mutation status in 169 individuals was measured. The APOD assay clearly separated control individuals (healthy males and molecular defined DSD patients other than AIS) from genetically proven AIS (cutoff < 2.3-fold APOD-induction; 100% sensitivity, 93.3% specificity, P < .0001). Of 46 DSD individuals with no AR mutation, 17 (37%) fell below the cutoff, indicating disrupted androgen signaling. AR mutation-positive AIS can be reliably identified by the APOD assay. Its combination with next-generation sequencing of the AR locus uncovered an AR mutation-negative, new class of androgen resistance, which we propose to name AIS type II. Our data support the existence of cellular components outside the AR affecting androgen signaling during sexual differentiation with high clinical relevance.

Identification of an AR Mutation-Negative Class of Androgen Insensitivity by Determining Endogenous AR Activity

PubMed Central

Ukat, M.; Schweikert, H. U.; Hiort, O.; Werner, R.; Drop, S. L. S.; Cools, M.; Hughes, I. A.; Audi, L.; Ahmed, S. F.; Demiri, J.; Rodens, P.; Worch, L.; Wehner, G.; Kulle, A. E.; Dunstheimer, D.; Müller-Roßberg, E.; Reinehr, T.; Hadidi, A. T.; Eckstein, A. K.; van der Horst, C.; Seif, C.; Siebert, R.; Ammerpohl, O.; Holterhus, P.-M.

2016-01-01

Context: Only approximately 85% of patients with a clinical diagnosis complete androgen insensitivity syndrome and less than 30% with partial androgen insensitivity syndrome can be explained by inactivating mutations in the androgen receptor (AR) gene. Objective: The objective of the study was to clarify this discrepancy by in vitro determination of AR transcriptional activity in individuals with disorders of sex development (DSD) and male controls. Design: Quantification of DHT-dependent transcriptional induction of the AR target gene apolipoprotein D (APOD) in cultured genital fibroblasts (GFs) (APOD assay) and next-generation sequencing of the complete coding and noncoding AR locus. Setting: The study was conducted at a university hospital endocrine research laboratory. Patients: GFs from 169 individuals were studied encompassing control males (n = 68), molecular defined DSD other than androgen insensitivity syndrome (AIS; n = 18), AR mutation-positive AIS (n = 37), and previously undiagnosed DSD including patients with a clinical suspicion of AIS (n = 46). Intervention(s): There were no interventions. Main Outcome Measure(s): DHT-dependent APOD expression in cultured GF and AR mutation status in 169 individuals was measured. Results: The APOD assay clearly separated control individuals (healthy males and molecular defined DSD patients other than AIS) from genetically proven AIS (cutoff < 2.3-fold APOD-induction; 100% sensitivity, 93.3% specificity, P < .0001). Of 46 DSD individuals with no AR mutation, 17 (37%) fell below the cutoff, indicating disrupted androgen signaling. Conclusions: AR mutation-positive AIS can be reliably identified by the APOD assay. Its combination with next-generation sequencing of the AR locus uncovered an AR mutation-negative, new class of androgen resistance, which we propose to name AIS type II. Our data support the existence of cellular components outside the AR affecting androgen signaling during sexual differentiation with high

Armenian Astronomical Society (ArAS) activities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mickaelian, A. M.

2016-09-01

A review on the activities and achievements of Armenian Astronomical Society (ArAS) and Armenian astronomy in general during the last years is given. ArAS membership, ArAS electronic newsletters (ArASNews), ArAS webpage, Annual Meetings, Annual Prize for Young Astronomers (Yervant Terzian Prize) and other awards, international relations, presence in international organizations, local and international summer schools, science camps, astronomical Olympiads and other events, matters related to astronomical education, astronomical heritage, amateur astronomy, astronomy outreach and ArAS further projects are described and discussed.

Noble Gases in Alpine Gold: U/Th-He Dating and Excesses of Radiogenic He and AR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eugster, O.; Hofmann, B.; Krahenbuhl, U.; Neuenschwander, J.

1992-07-01

quantity of trapped atmospheric noble gases we estimate atmospheric ^4He in the gold samples to be three to five orders of magnitude below the observed ^4He concentration. Placer gold is finely distributed in rock material and might be exposed to an alpha-particle irradiation from neighboring U/Th-rich minerals. An alternative He source are inclusions of U/Th-rich minerals, such as zircon, either within the gold material or mechanically worked into the spangles as they were part of the river detritus. Acknowledgement: We thank the Swiss NSF for their support. References: Diamond L.W. (1990) Am. J. of Science 290, 912-958. Schmid K. (1973) Schw. Min. Petr. Mitt. 53, 125-156. Table 1, which in the hard copy appears here, shows concentrations of He, Ne, and Ar (10^-8 cm^3 STP/g) and of K, Th, and U (ppm) in vein-type free gold, placer gold, and quartz. The ^3He and ^21Ne signals were below detection limits, that is ^4He/^3He in gold is >100'000. Average ^20Ne/^22Ne ratios in gold and quartz are 10.2 +- 0.2, that is about 4% larger than in the terrestrial atmosphere. Average ^36Ar/^38Ar = 5.2 +- 0.2 (within errors identical to ^36Ar/^38Ar in air). 1) Sample sizes 50-100 mg. 2) Radiogenic ^40Ar = ^40Ar-295.5 x ^36Ar. 3) Calculated from U/Th and ^40K decay.

The celecoxib derivatives AR-12 and AR-14 induce autophagy and clear prion-infected cells from prions.

PubMed

Abdulrahman, Basant A; Abdelaziz, Dalia; Thapa, Simrika; Lu, Li; Jain, Shubha; Gilch, Sabine; Proniuk, Stefan; Zukiwski, Alexander; Schatzl, Hermann M

2017-12-14

Prion diseases are fatal infectious neurodegenerative disorders that affect both humans and animals. The autocatalytic conversion of the cellular prion protein (PrP C ) into the pathologic isoform PrP Sc is a key feature in prion pathogenesis. AR-12 is an IND-approved derivative of celecoxib that demonstrated preclinical activity against several microbial diseases. Recently, AR-12 has been shown to facilitate clearance of misfolded proteins. The latter proposes AR-12 to be a potential therapeutic agent for neurodegenerative disorders. In this study, we investigated the role of AR-12 and its derivatives in controlling prion infection. We tested AR-12 in prion infected neuronal and non-neuronal cell lines. Immunoblotting and confocal microscopy results showed that AR-12 and its analogue AR-14 reduced PrP Sc levels after only 72 hours of treatment. Furthermore, infected cells were cured of PrP Sc after exposure of AR-12 or AR-14 for only two weeks. We partially attribute the influence of the AR compounds on prion propagation to autophagy stimulation, in line with our previous findings that drug-induced stimulation of autophagy has anti-prion effects in vitro and in vivo. Taken together, this study demonstrates that AR-12 and the AR-14 analogue are potential new therapeutic agents for prion diseases and possibly protein misfolding disorders involving prion-like mechanisms.

Analytic Validation of RNA In Situ Hybridization (RISH) for AR and AR-V7 Expression in Human Prostate Cancer

PubMed Central

Guedes, Liana B.; Morais, Carlos L.; Almutairi, Fawaz; Haffner, Michael C.; Zheng, Qizhi; Isaacs, John T.; Antonarakis, Emmanuel S.; Lu, Changxue; Tsai, Harrison; Luo, Jun; De Marzo, Angelo M.; Lotan, Tamara L.

2016-01-01

Purpose RNA expression of androgen receptor splice variants may be a biomarker of resistance to novel androgen deprivation therapies in castrate resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). We analytically validated an RNA in situ hybridization (RISH) assay for total AR and AR-V7 for use in formalin fixed paraffin embedded (FFPE) prostate tumors. Experimental Design We used prostate cell lines and xenografts to validate chromogenic RISH to detect RNA containing AR exon 1 (AR-E1, surrogate for total AR RNA species) and cryptic exon 3 (AR-CE3, surrogate for AR-V7 expression). RISH signals were quantified in FFPE primary tumors and CRPC specimens, comparing to known AR and AR-V7 status by immunohistochemistry and RT-PCR. Results The quantified RISH results correlated significantly with total AR and AR-V7 levels by RT-PCR in cell lines, xenografts and autopsy metastases. Both AR-E1 and AR-CE3 RISH signals were localized in nuclear punctae in addition to the expected cytoplasmic speckles. Compared to admixed benign glands, AR-E1 expression was significantly higher in primary tumor cells with a median fold increase of 3.0 and 1.4 in two independent cohorts (p<0.0001 and p=0.04, respectively). While AR-CE3 expression was detectable in primary prostatic tumors, levels were substantially higher in a subset of CRPC metastases and cell lines, and were correlated with AR-E1 expression. Conclusions RISH for AR-E1 and AR-CE3 is an analytically valid method to examine total AR and AR-V7 RNA levels in FFPE tissues. Future clinical validation studies are required to determine whether AR RISH is a prognostic or predictive biomarker in specific clinical contexts. PMID:27166397

76 FR 27077 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Form AR-11 and Form AR-11SR, Extension of an Existing...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-05-10

... Collection Activities: Form AR-11 and Form AR- 11SR, Extension of an Existing Information Collection; Comment Request ACTION: 60-Day Notice of Information Collection under Review: Form AR- 11 and Form AR-11SR, Alien... evaluating whether to revise the Form AR-11 and Form AR-11SR (Forms AR-11). Should USCIS decide to revise...

Astronomical calibration of 40Ar/39Ar reference minerals using high-precision, multi-collector (ARGUSVI) mass spectrometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Phillips, D.; Matchan, E. L.; Honda, M.; Kuiper, K. F.

2017-01-01

The new generation of multi-collector mass spectrometers (e.g. ARGUSVI) permit ultra-high precision (<0.1%) 40Ar/39Ar geochronology of rocks and minerals. At the same time, the 40Ar/39Ar method is limited by relatively large uncertainties (>1%) in 40K decay constants and the ages of natural reference minerals that form the basis of the technique. For example, reported ages for widely used 40Ar/39Ar reference materials, such as the ca. 28 Ma Fish Canyon Tuff sanidine (FCTs) and the ca. 1.2 Ma Alder Creek Rhyolite sanidine (ACRs), vary by >1%. Recent attempts to independently calibrate these reference minerals have focused on K-Ar analyses of the same minerals and inter-comparisons with astronomically tuned tephras in sedimentary sequences and U-Pb zircon ages from volcanic rocks. Most of these studies used older generation (effectively single-collector) mass spectrometers that employed peak-jumping analytical methods to acquire 40Ar/39Ar data. In this study, we reassess the inter-calibration and ages of commonly used 40Ar/39Ar reference minerals Fish Canyon Tuff sanidine (FCTs), Alder Creek Rhyolite sanidine (ACRs) and Mount Dromedary biotite (MD2b; equivalent to GA-1550 biotite), relative to the astronomically tuned age of A1 Tephra sanidine (A1Ts), Faneromeni section, Crete (Rivera et al., 2011), using a multi-collector ARGUSVI mass spectrometer. These analyses confirm the exceptional precision capability (<0.1%) of this system, compared to most previous studies. All sanidine samples (FCTs, ACRs and A1Ts) exhibit discordant 40Ar/39Ar step-heating spectra, with generally monotonically increasing ages (∼1% gradients). The similarity in these patterns, mass-dependent fractionation modeling, and results from step-crushing experiments on FCTs, which yield younger apparent ages, suggest that the discordance may be due to a combination of recoil loss and redistribution of 39ArK and isotope mass fractionation. In contrast to our previous inferences, these results imply

Increased risk for CRC in diabetic patients with the nonrisk allele of SNPs at 8q24.

PubMed

Ishimaru, Shinya; Mimori, Koshi; Yamamoto, Ken; Inoue, Hiroshi; Imoto, Seiya; Kawano, Shuichi; Yamaguchi, Rui; Sato, Tetsuya; Toh, Hiroyuki; Iinuma, Hisae; Maeda, Toyoki; Ishii, Hideshi; Suzuki, Sadao; Tokudome, Shinkan; Watanabe, Masahiko; Tanaka, Jun-ichi; Kudo, Shin-ei; Sugihara, Ken-ichi; Hase, Kazuo; Mochizuki, Hidetaka; Kusunoki, Masato; Yamada, Kazutaka; Shimada, Yasuhiro; Moriya, Yoshihiro; Barnard, Graham F; Miyano, Satoru; Mori, Masaki

2012-09-01

Colorectal cancer (CRC) oncogenesis was considered to be determined by interactions between genetic and environmental factors. Specific interacting factors that influence CRC morbidity have yet to be fully investigated. A multi-institutional collaborative study with 1511 CRC patients and 2098 control subjects was used to compare the odds ratios for the occurrence of polymorphisms at 11 known single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). TaqMan PCR and questionnaires were used to evaluate the effects of environmental exposures. Variants of rs6983267 on 8q24 were the most significant markers of risk for CRC (odds ratio 1.16, 95% confidence interval 1.06-1.27, P = 0.0015). Non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (DM), a higher body mass index at age 20, and meat consumption were environmental risk factors, whereas a tuna-rich diet and vitamin intake were protective factors. The cohort of rs6983267 SNP major (T) allele at 8q24 and DM had a 1.66-fold higher risk ratio than the cohort of major allele patients without DM. We confirmed that interactions between the genetic background and environmental factors are associated with increased risk for CRC. There is a robust risk of the minor G allele at the 8q24 rs6983267 SNP; however, a major T allele SNP could more clearly reveal a correlation with CRC specifically when DM is present.

Early Pleistocene 40Ar/39Ar ages for Bapang Formation hominins, Central Jawa, Indonesia

PubMed Central

Larick, Roy; Ciochon, Russell L.; Zaim, Yahdi; Sudijono; Suminto; Rizal, Yan; Aziz, Fachroel; Reagan, Mark; Heizler, Matthew

2001-01-01

The Sangiran dome is the primary stratigraphic window for the Plio-Pleistocene deposits of the Solo basin of Central Jawa. The dome has yielded nearly 80 Homo erectus fossils, around 50 of which have known findspots. With a hornblende 40Ar/39Ar plateau age of 1.66 ± 0.04 mega-annum (Ma) reportedly associated with two fossils [Swisher, C.C., III, Curtis, G. H., Jacob, T., Getty, A. G., Suprijo, A. & Widiasmoro (1994) Science 263, 1118–1121), the dome offers evidence that early Homo dispersed to East Asia during the earliest Pleistocene. Unfortunately, the hornblende pumice was sampled at Jokotingkir Hill, a central locality with complex lithostratigraphic deformation and dubious specimen provenance. To address the antiquity of Sangiran H. erectus more systematically, we investigate the sedimentary framework and hornblende 40Ar/39Ar age for volcanic deposits in the southeast quadrant of the dome. In this sector, Bapang (Kabuh) sediments have their largest exposure, least deformation, and most complete tephrostratigraphy. At five locations, we identify a sequence of sedimentary cycles in which H. erectus fossils are associated with epiclastic pumice. From sampled pumice, eight hornblende separates produced 40Ar/39Ar plateau ages ranging from 1.51 ± 0.08 Ma at the Bapang/Sangiran Formation contact, to 1.02 ± 0.06 Ma, at a point above the hominin-bearing sequence. The chronological sequence of 40Ar/39Ar ages follows stratigraphic order across the southeast quadrant. An intermediate level yielding four nearly complete crania has an age of about 1.25 Ma. PMID:11309488

Early Pleistocene 40Ar/39Ar ages for Bapang Formation hominins, Central Jawa, Indonesia.

PubMed

Larick, R; Ciochon, R L; Zaim, Y; Sudijono; Suminto; Rizal, Y; Aziz, F; Reagan, M; Heizler, M

2001-04-24

The Sangiran dome is the primary stratigraphic window for the Plio-Pleistocene deposits of the Solo basin of Central Jawa. The dome has yielded nearly 80 Homo erectus fossils, around 50 of which have known findspots. With a hornblende (40)Ar/(39)Ar plateau age of 1.66 +/- 0.04 mega-annum (Ma) reportedly associated with two fossils [Swisher, C.C., III, Curtis, G. H., Jacob, T., Getty, A. G., Suprijo, A. & Widiasmoro (1994) Science 263, 1118-1121), the dome offers evidence that early Homo dispersed to East Asia during the earliest Pleistocene. Unfortunately, the hornblende pumice was sampled at Jokotingkir Hill, a central locality with complex lithostratigraphic deformation and dubious specimen provenance. To address the antiquity of Sangiran H. erectus more systematically, we investigate the sedimentary framework and hornblende (40)Ar/(39)Ar age for volcanic deposits in the southeast quadrant of the dome. In this sector, Bapang (Kabuh) sediments have their largest exposure, least deformation, and most complete tephrostratigraphy. At five locations, we identify a sequence of sedimentary cycles in which H. erectus fossils are associated with epiclastic pumice. From sampled pumice, eight hornblende separates produced (40)Ar/(39)Ar plateau ages ranging from 1.51 +/- 0.08 Ma at the Bapang/Sangiran Formation contact, to 1.02 +/- 0.06 Ma, at a point above the hominin-bearing sequence. The chronological sequence of (40)Ar/(39)Ar ages follows stratigraphic order across the southeast quadrant. An intermediate level yielding four nearly complete crania has an age of about 1.25 Ma.

ACTH Action on StAR Biology

PubMed Central

Clark, Barbara J.

2016-01-01

Adrenocorticotropin hormone (ACTH) produced by the anterior pituitary stimulates glucocorticoid synthesis by the adrenal cortex. The first step in glucocorticoid synthesis is the delivery of cholesterol to the mitochondrial matrix where the first enzymatic reaction in the steroid hormone biosynthetic pathway occurs. A key response of adrenal cells to ACTH is activation of the cAMP-protein kinase A (PKA) signaling pathway. PKA activation results in an acute increase in expression and function of the Steroidogenic Acute Regulatory protein (StAR). StAR plays an essential role in steroidogenesis- it controls the hormone-dependent movement of cholesterol across the mitochondrial membranes. Currently StAR's mechanism of action remains a major unanswered question in the field. However, some insight may be gained from understanding the mechanism(s) controlling the PKA-dependent phosphorylation of StAR at S194/195 (mouse/human StAR), a modification that is required for function. This mini-review provides a background on StAR's biology with a focus on StAR phosphorylation. The model for StAR translation and phosphorylation at the outer mitochondrial membrane, the location for StAR function, is presented to highlight a unifying theme emerging from diverse studies. PMID:27999527

ACTH Action on StAR Biology.

PubMed

Clark, Barbara J

2016-01-01

Adrenocorticotropin hormone (ACTH) produced by the anterior pituitary stimulates glucocorticoid synthesis by the adrenal cortex. The first step in glucocorticoid synthesis is the delivery of cholesterol to the mitochondrial matrix where the first enzymatic reaction in the steroid hormone biosynthetic pathway occurs. A key response of adrenal cells to ACTH is activation of the cAMP-protein kinase A (PKA) signaling pathway. PKA activation results in an acute increase in expression and function of the Steroidogenic Acute Regulatory protein (StAR). StAR plays an essential role in steroidogenesis- it controls the hormone-dependent movement of cholesterol across the mitochondrial membranes. Currently StAR's mechanism of action remains a major unanswered question in the field. However, some insight may be gained from understanding the mechanism(s) controlling the PKA-dependent phosphorylation of StAR at S194/195 (mouse/human StAR), a modification that is required for function. This mini-review provides a background on StAR's biology with a focus on StAR phosphorylation. The model for StAR translation and phosphorylation at the outer mitochondrial membrane, the location for StAR function, is presented to highlight a unifying theme emerging from diverse studies.

Ar-Ar and I-XE Ages and the Thermal History of IAB Meteorites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bogard, Donald D.; Garrison, Daniel H.; Takeda, Hiroshi

2006-01-01

Studies of several samples of the large Caddo County IAB iron meteorite reveal andesitic material, enriched in Si, Na, Al and Ca which is essentially unique among meteorites. This material is believed to have formed from a chondritic source by partial melting and to have further segregated by grain coarsening. Such an origin implies extended metamorphism of the IAB parent body. New Ar-39- Ar-40 ages for silicate from three different Caddo samples are consistent with a common age of 4.50- 4.51 Gyr ago. Less well defined Ar-Ar degassing ages for inclusions from two other IABs, EET8333 and Udei Station, are approx. 4.32 Gyr, whereas the age for Campo del Cielo varies considerably over approx. 3.23-4.56 Gyr. New I-129-Xe-129 ges for Caddo County and EET8333 are 4561.9 plus or minus 0.1 Myr and 4560-4563 Myr, respectively, relative to an age of 4566 Myr for Shallowater. Considering all reported Ar-Ar ages for IABs and related winonaites, the range is approx. 4.32-4.53 Gyr, but several IABs give similar Ar ages of 4.50-4.52 Gyr. We interpret these older ages to represent cooling after the time of last significant metamorphism on the parent body, and the younger ages to represent later 40Ar diffusion loss. These older Ar-Ar ages are similar to Sm-Nd and Rb-Sr isochron ages reported in the literature for Caddo County. Considering the possibility that IAB parent body formation was followed by impact disruption, reassembly, and metamorphism (e.g., Benedix et al. 2000), the time of the postassembly metamorphism may have been as late as approx. 4.53 Gyr ago. However, precise I-Xe ages reported for some IABs define a range of ages of approx. 4560 to approx. 4576 Myr. The older I-Xe ages exceed the oldest precise radiometric ages of meteorites, appear unrealistic, and suggest a bias in the calibration of all I-Xe ages. But even with such a bias, the I-Xe ages of IABs cannot easily be reconciled with the much younger Ar-Ar and Sm-Nd ages and with cooling rates deduced from Ni

Cross Sections of the 36Ar(d,α)34mCl, 40Ar(d,α)38Cl and 40Ar(d,p)41Ar Nuclear Reactions below 8.4 MeV

PubMed Central

Engle, J W; Severin, G W; Barnhart, T E; Knutson, L D; Nickles, R J

2011-01-01

We have measured the cross section for production of the medically interesting isotope 34mCl, along with 38Cl and 41Ar, using deuteron bombardments of 36Ar and 40Ar below 8.4 MeV. ALICE/ASH analytical codes were employed to determine the shape of nuclear excitation functions, and experiments were performed using the University of Wisconsin tandem electrostatic accelerator to irradiate thin targets of argon gas. PMID:22041299

Allelic genealogies in sporophytic self-incompatibility systems in plants.

PubMed

Schierup, M H; Vekemans, X; Christiansen, F B

1998-11-01

Expectations for the time scale and structure of allelic genealogies in finite populations are formed under three models of sporophytic self-incompatibility. The models differ in the dominance interactions among the alleles that determine the self-incompatibility phenotype: In the SSIcod model, alleles act codominantly in both pollen and style, in the SSIdom model, alleles form a dominance hierarchy, and in SSIdomcod, alleles are codominant in the style and show a dominance hierarchy in the pollen. Coalescence times of alleles rarely differ more than threefold from those under gametophytic self-incompatibility, and transspecific polymorphism is therefore expected to be equally common. The previously reported directional turnover process of alleles in the SSIdomcod model results in coalescence times lower and substitution rates higher than those in the other models. The SSIdom model assumes strong asymmetries in allelic action, and the most recessive extant allele is likely to be the most recent common ancestor. Despite these asymmetries, the expected shape of the allele genealogies does not deviate markedly from the shape of a neutral gene genealogy. The application of the results to sequence surveys of alleles, including interspecific comparisons, is discussed.

Histone demethylase JMJD1A promotes alternative splicing of AR variant 7 (AR-V7) in prostate cancer cells.

PubMed

Fan, Lingling; Zhang, Fengbo; Xu, Songhui; Cui, Xiaolu; Hussain, Arif; Fazli, Ladan; Gleave, Martin; Dong, Xuesen; Qi, Jianfei

2018-05-15

Formation of the androgen receptor splicing variant 7 (AR-V7) is one of the major mechanisms by which resistance of prostate cancer to androgen deprivation therapy occurs. The histone demethylase JMJD1A (Jumonji domain containing 1A) functions as a key coactivator for AR by epigenetic regulation of H3K9 methylation marks. Here, we describe a role for JMJD1A in AR-V7 expression. While JMJD1A knockdown had no effect on full-length AR (AR-FL), it reduced AR-V7 levels in prostate cancer cells. Reexpression of AR-V7 in the JMJD1A-knockdown cells elevated expression of select AR targets and partially rescued prostate cancer cell growth in vitro and in vivo. The AR-V7 protein level correlated positively with JMJD1A in a subset of human prostate cancer specimens. Mechanistically, we found that JMJD1A promoted alternative splicing of AR-V7 through heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein F (HNRNPF), a splicing factor known to regulate exon inclusion. Knockdown of JMJD1A or HNRNPF inhibited splicing of AR-V7, but not AR-FL, in a minigene reporter assay. JMJD1A was found to interact with and promote the recruitment of HNRNPF to a cryptic exon 3b on AR pre-mRNA for the generation of AR-V7. Taken together, the role of JMJD1A in AR-FL coactivation and AR-V7 alternative splicing highlights JMJD1A as a potentially promising target for prostate cancer therapy.

Androgen Receptor Variant AR-V9 Is Coexpressed with AR-V7 in Prostate Cancer Metastases and Predicts Abiraterone Resistance.

PubMed

Kohli, Manish; Ho, Yeung; Hillman, David W; Van Etten, Jamie L; Henzler, Christine; Yang, Rendong; Sperger, Jamie M; Li, Yingming; Tseng, Elizabeth; Hon, Ting; Clark, Tyson; Tan, Winston; Carlson, Rachel E; Wang, Liguo; Sicotte, Hugues; Thai, Ho; Jimenez, Rafael; Huang, Haojie; Vedell, Peter T; Eckloff, Bruce W; Quevedo, Jorge F; Pitot, Henry C; Costello, Brian A; Jen, Jin; Wieben, Eric D; Silverstein, Kevin A T; Lang, Joshua M; Wang, Liewei; Dehm, Scott M

2017-08-15

Purpose: Androgen receptor (AR) variant AR-V7 is a ligand-independent transcription factor that promotes prostate cancer resistance to AR-targeted therapies. Accordingly, efforts are under way to develop strategies for monitoring and inhibiting AR-V7 in castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). The purpose of this study was to understand whether other AR variants may be coexpressed with AR-V7 and promote resistance to AR-targeted therapies. Experimental Design: We utilized complementary short- and long-read sequencing of intact AR mRNA isoforms to characterize AR expression in CRPC models. Coexpression of AR-V7 and AR-V9 mRNA in CRPC metastases and circulating tumor cells was assessed by RNA-seq and RT-PCR, respectively. Expression of AR-V9 protein in CRPC models was evaluated with polyclonal antisera. Multivariate analysis was performed to test whether AR variant mRNA expression in metastatic tissues was associated with a 12-week progression-free survival endpoint in a prospective clinical trial of 78 CRPC-stage patients initiating therapy with the androgen synthesis inhibitor, abiraterone acetate. Results: AR-V9 was frequently coexpressed with AR-V7. Both AR variant species were found to share a common 3' terminal cryptic exon, which rendered AR-V9 susceptible to experimental manipulations that were previously thought to target AR-V7 uniquely. AR-V9 promoted ligand-independent growth of prostate cancer cells. High AR-V9 mRNA expression in CRPC metastases was predictive of primary resistance to abiraterone acetate (HR = 4.0; 95% confidence interval, 1.31-12.2; P = 0.02). Conclusions: AR-V9 may be an important component of therapeutic resistance in CRPC. Clin Cancer Res; 23(16); 4704-15. ©2017 AACR . ©2017 American Association for Cancer Research.

Single-crystal 40Ar/39Ar incremental heating reveals bimodal sanidine ages in the Bishop Tuff

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andersen, N. L.; Jicha, B. R.; Singer, B. S.

2015-12-01

The 650 km3 Bishop Tuff (BT) is among the most studied volcanic deposits because it is an extensive marker bed deposited just after the Matuyama-Brunhes boundary. Reconstructions of the vast BT magma reservoir from which high-silica rhyolite erupted have long influenced thinking about how large silicic magma systems are assembled, crystallized, and mixed. Yet, the longevity of the high silica rhyolitic melt and exact timing of the eruption remain controversial due to recent conflicting 40Ar/39Ar sanidine vs. SIMS and ID-TIMS U-Pb zircon dates. We have undertaken 21 40Ar/39Ar incremental heating ages on 2 mm BT sanidine crystals from pumice in 3 widely separated outcrops of early-erupted fall and flow units. Plateau ages yield a bimodal distribution: a younger group has a mean of 766 ka and an older group gives a range between 772 and 782 ka. The younger population is concordant with the youngest ID-TIMS and SIMS U-Pb zircon ages recently published, as well as the astronomical age of BT in marine sediment. Of 21 crystals, 17 yield older, non-plateau, steps likely affected by excess Ar that would bias traditional 40Ar/39Ar total crystal fusion ages. The small spread in older sanidine ages, together with 25+ kyr of pre-eruptive zircon growth, suggest that the older sanidines are not partially outgassed xenocrysts. A bimodal 40Ar/39Ar age distribution implies that some fraction of rhyolitic melt cooled below the Ar closure temperature at least 10 ky prior to eruption. We propose that rapid "thawing" of a crystalline mush layer released older crystals into rhyolitic melt from which sanidine also nucleated and grew immediately prior to the eruption. High precision 40Ar/39Ar dating can thus provide essential information on thermo-physical processes at the millenial time scale that are critical to interpreting U-Pb zircon age distributions that are complicated by large uncertainties associated with zircon-melt U-Th systematics.

A Tale of Two Signals: AR and WNT in Development and Tumorigenesis of Prostate and Mammary Gland

PubMed Central

Pakula, Hubert; Xiang, Dongxi; Li, Zhe

2017-01-01

Prostate cancer (PCa) is one of the most common cancers and among the leading causes of cancer deaths for men in industrialized countries. It has long been recognized that the prostate is an androgen-dependent organ and PCa is an androgen-dependent disease. Androgen action is mediated by the androgen receptor (AR). Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is the standard treatment for metastatic PCa. However, almost all advanced PCa cases progress to castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) after a period of ADT. A variety of mechanisms of progression from androgen-dependent PCa to CRPC under ADT have been postulated, but it remains largely unclear as to when and how castration resistance arises within prostate tumors. In addition, AR signaling may be modulated by extracellular factors among which are the cysteine-rich glycoproteins WNTs. The WNTs are capable of signaling through several pathways, the best-characterized being the canonical WNT/β-catenin/TCF-mediated canonical pathway. Recent studies from sequencing PCa genomes revealed that CRPC cells frequently harbor mutations in major components of the WNT/β-catenin pathway. Moreover, the finding of an interaction between β-catenin and AR suggests a possible mechanism of cross talk between WNT and androgen/AR signaling pathways. In this review, we discuss the current knowledge of both AR and WNT pathways in prostate development and tumorigenesis, and their interaction during development of CRPC. We also review the possible therapeutic application of drugs that target both AR and WNT/β-catenin pathways. Finally, we extend our review of AR and WNT signaling to the mammary gland system and breast cancer. We highlight that the role of AR signaling and its interaction with WNT signaling in these two hormone-related cancer types are highly context-dependent. PMID:28134791

A Tale of Two Signals: AR and WNT in Development and Tumorigenesis of Prostate and Mammary Gland.

PubMed

Pakula, Hubert; Xiang, Dongxi; Li, Zhe

2017-01-27

Prostate cancer (PCa) is one of the most common cancers and among the leading causes of cancer deaths for men in industrialized countries. It has long been recognized that the prostate is an androgen-dependent organ and PCa is an androgen-dependent disease. Androgen action is mediated by the androgen receptor (AR). Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is the standard treatment for metastatic PCa. However, almost all advanced PCa cases progress to castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) after a period of ADT. A variety of mechanisms of progression from androgen-dependent PCa to CRPC under ADT have been postulated, but it remains largely unclear as to when and how castration resistance arises within prostate tumors. In addition, AR signaling may be modulated by extracellular factors among which are the cysteine-rich glycoproteins WNTs. The WNTs are capable of signaling through several pathways, the best-characterized being the canonical WNT/β-catenin/TCF-mediated canonical pathway. Recent studies from sequencing PCa genomes revealed that CRPC cells frequently harbor mutations in major components of the WNT/β-catenin pathway. Moreover, the finding of an interaction between β-catenin and AR suggests a possible mechanism of cross talk between WNT and androgen/AR signaling pathways. In this review, we discuss the current knowledge of both AR and WNT pathways in prostate development and tumorigenesis, and their interaction during development of CRPC. We also review the possible therapeutic application of drugs that target both AR and WNT/β-catenin pathways. Finally, we extend our review of AR and WNT signaling to the mammary gland system and breast cancer. We highlight that the role of AR signaling and its interaction with WNT signaling in these two hormone-related cancer types are highly context-dependent.

Optical characteristics of a RF DBD plasma jet in various {Ar}/ {O}_{2}Ar/O2 mixtures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Falahat, A.; Ganjovi, A.; Taraz, M.; Ravari, M. N. Rostami; Shahedi, A.

2018-02-01

In this paper, using the optical emission spectroscopy (OES) technique, the optical characteristics of a radiofrequency (RF) plasma jet are examined. The Ar/O2 mixture is taken as the operational gas and, the Ar percentage in the Ar/O2 mixture is varied from 70% to 95%. Using the optical emission spectrum analysis of the RF plasma jet, the excitation temperature is determined based on the Boltzmann plot method. The electron density in the plasma medium of the RF plasma jet is obtained by the Stark broadening of the hydrogen Balmer H_{β }. It is mostly seen that, the radiation intensity of Ar 4p→ 4s transitions at higher argon contributions in Ar/O2 mixture is higher. It is found that, at higher Ar percentages, the emission intensities from atomic oxygen (O) are higher and, the line intensities from the argon atoms and ions including O atoms linearly increase. It is observed that the quenching of Ar^{*} with O2 results in higher O species with respect to O2 molecules. In addition, at higher percentages of Ar in the Ar/O2 mixture, while the excitation temperature is decreased, the electron density is increased.

K/Ar dating of lunar soils. II

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Alexander, E. C., Jr.; Bates, A.; Coscio, M. R., Jr.; Dragon, J. C.; Murthy, V. R.; Pepin, R. O.; Venkatesan, T. R.

1976-01-01

An attempt is made to identify those K/Ar techniques which extract the most reliable chronological information from lunar soils and to define the situations in which the best data are obtainable. Results are presented for determinations of the exposure and K/Ar ages of five lunar soil samples, which were performed by applying correlation techniques for a two-component argon structure to stepwise-heated and neutron-irradiated aliquots of grain-sized separates. It is found that ages deduced from Ar-40/surface-correlated Ar-36 vs K-40/surface-correlated Ar-36 and analogous plots of data from grain-sized separates appear to be the best available K/Ar ages of submature to mature lunar soils, that ages deduced from Ar-40 vs Ar-36 and analogous plots which assume a uniform K content can be significantly in error, and that stepwise-heating (Ar-40)-(Ar-39) experiments yield useful information only for simple immature soils where the K-Ar systematics are dominated by a single component.

Cross sections of the 36Ar(d,α)34mCl, 40Ar(d,α)38Cl, and 40Ar(d,p)41Ar nuclear reactions below 8.4 MeV.

PubMed

Engle, J W; Severin, G W; Barnhart, T E; Knutson, L D; Nickles, R J

2012-02-01

We have measured the cross section for production of the medically interesting isotope (34m)Cl, along with (38)Cl and (41)Ar, using deuteron bombardments of (36)Ar and (40)Ar below 8.4 MeV. ALICE/ASH analytical codes were employed to determine the shape of nuclear excitation functions, and experiments were performed using the University of Wisconsin tandem electrostatic accelerator to irradiate thin targets of argon gas. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

40Ar/39Ar geochronology of submarine Mauna Loa volcano, Hawaii

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jicha, Brian R.; Rhodes, J. Michael; Singer, Brad S.; Garcia, Michael O.

2012-09-01

New geochronologic constraints refine the growth history of Mauna Loa volcano and enhance interpretations of the petrologic, geochemical, and isotopic evolution of Hawaiian magmatism. We report results of 40Ar/39Ar incremental heating experiments on low-K, tholeiitic lavas from the 1.6 km high Kahuku landslide scarp cutting Mauna Loa's submarine southwest rift zone, and from lavas in a deeper section of the rift. Obtaining precise40Ar/39Ar ages from young, tholeiitic lavas containing only 0.2-0.3 wt.% K2O is challenging due to their extremely low radiogenic 40Ar contents. Analyses of groundmass from 45 lavas yield 14 new age determinations (31% success rate) with plateau and isochron ages that agree with stratigraphic constraints. Lavas collected from a 1250 m thick section in the landslide scarp headwall were all erupted around 470 ± 10 ka, implying an extraordinary period of accumulation of ˜25 mm/yr, possibly correlating with the peak of the shield-building stage. This rate is three times higher than the estimated vertical lava accumulation rate for shield-building at Mauna Kea (8.6 ± 3.1 mm/yr) based on results from the Hawaii Scientific Drilling Project. Between ˜470 and 273 ka, the lava accumulation rate along the southwest rift zone decreased dramatically to ˜1 mm/yr. We propose that the marked reduction in lava accumulation rate does not mark the onset of post-shield volcanism as previously suggested, but rather indicates the upward migration of the magma system as Mauna Loa evolved from a submarine stage of growth to one that is predominantly subaerial, thereby cutting off supply to the distal rift zone. Prior to ˜250 ka, lavas with Loihi-like isotopic signatures were erupted along with lavas having typical Mauna Loa values, implying greater heterogeneity in the plume source earlier in Mauna Loa's growth. In addition to refining accumulation rates and the isotopic evolution of the lavas erupted along the southwest rift zone, our new40Ar/39Ar results

Androgen Receptor (AR) in Cardiovascular Diseases

PubMed Central

Huang, Chiung-Kuei; Lee, Soo Ok; Chang, Eugene; Pang, Haiyan; Chang, Chawnshang

2016-01-01

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are still the highest leading cause of death worldwide. Several risk factors have been linked to CVDs, including smoking, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and gender among others. Sex hormones, especially the androgen and its receptor, androgen receptor (AR), have been linked to many diseases with a clear gender difference. Here, we summarize androgen/AR effects on CVDs, including hypertension, stroke, atherosclerosis, abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA), myocardial hypertrophy, and heart failure, as well as metabolic syndrome/diabetes and their impacts on CVDs. Androgen/AR signaling exacerbates hypertension and anti-androgens may suppress hypertension. Androgen/AR signaling plays dual roles in strokes, depending on different kinds of factors, but generally males have a higher incidence of strokes than females. Androgen and AR differentially modulate atherosclerosis. Androgen deficiency causes elevated lipid accumulation to enhance atherosclerosis, but targeting AR in selective cells without altering serum androgen levels would suppress atherosclerosis progression. Androgen/AR signaling is crucial in AAA development and progression, and targeting androgen/AR profoundly restricts AAA progression. Men have increased cardiac hypertrophy as compared to age-matched women that may be due to androgens. Finally, androgen/AR plays important roles in contributing to obesity and insulin/leptin resistance to increase the metabolic syndrome. PMID:26769913

Potassium Isotopic Compositions of NIST Potassium Standards and 40Ar/39Ar Mineral Standards

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Morgan, Leah; Tappa, Mike; Ellam, Rob; Mark, Darren; Higgins, John; Simon, Justin I.

2013-01-01

Knowledge of the isotopic ratios of standards, spikes, and reference materials is fundamental to the accuracy of many geochronological methods. For example, the 238U/235U ratio relevant to U-Pb geochronology was recently re-determined [1] and shown to differ significantly from the previously accepted value employed during age determinations. These underlying values are fundamental to accurate age calculations in many isotopic systems, and uncertainty in these values can represent a significant (and often unrecognized) portion of the uncertainty budget for determined ages. The potassium isotopic composition of mineral standards, or neutron flux monitors, is a critical, but often overlooked component in the calculation of K-Ar and 40Ar/39Ar ages. It is currently assumed that all terrestrial materials have abundances indistinguishable from that of NIST SRM 985 [2]; this is apparently a reasonable assumption at the 0.25per mille level (1s) [3]. The 40Ar/39Ar method further relies on the assumption that standards and samples (including primary and secondary standards) have indistinguishable 40K/39K values. We will present data establishing the potassium isotopic compositions of NIST isotopic K SRM 985, elemental K SRM 999b, and 40Ar/39Ar biotite mineral standard GA1550 (sample MD-2). Stable isotopic compositions (41K/39K) were measured by the peak shoulder method with high resolution MC-ICP-MS (Thermo Scientific NEPTUNE Plus), using the accepted value of NIST isotopic SRM 985 [2] for fractionation [4] corrections [5]. 40K abundances were measured by TIMS (Thermo Scientific TRITON), using 41K/39K values from ICP-MS measurements (or, for SRM 985, values from [2]) for internal fractionation corrections. Collectively these data represent an important step towards a metrologically traceable calibration of 40K concentrations in primary 40Ar/39Ar mineral standards and improve uncertainties by ca. an order of magnitude in the potassium isotopic compositions of standards.

Ar and K partitioning between clinopyroxene and silicate melt to 8 GPa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chamorro, E. M.; Brooker, R. A.; Wartho, J.-A.; Wood, B. J.; Kelley, S. P.; Blundy, J. D.

2002-02-01

clinopyroxene is diopside rich at all pressures, DK and DRb increase with pressure (and temperature) in an analogous fashion to the well-documented behavior of Na. For the Ab80Di20 system, the jadeite content of the clinopyroxene increases from 22 to 75 mol% with pressure resulting in a contraction of the M2 site. This has the effect of discriminating against the large K+ and Rb+ ions, thereby countering the effect of increasing pressure. As a consequence DK and DRb do not increase with pressure in this system. In contrast to the alkalis (Na, K, and Rb), DKr values are similar to DAr despite a large difference in atomic radius. This lack of discrimination (and the constant DAr over a range of crystal compositions) is also consistent with incorporation of these heavier noble gases at crystal lattice sites and a predicted consequence of their neutrality or ;zero charge.; Combined with published DAr values for olivine, our results confirm that magma generation is an efficient mechanism for the removal of Ar from the uppermost 200 km of the mantle, and that K/Ar ratios in the residuum are controlled by the amount of clinopyroxene. Generally, Ar is more compatible than K during mantle melting because DAr for olivine is similar to DK for clinopyroxene. As a result, residual mantle that has experienced variable amounts of melt extraction may show considerable variability in time-integrated 36Ar/40Ar.

Androgen Receptor (AR) Physiological Roles in Male and Female Reproductive Systems: Lessons Learned from AR-Knockout Mice Lacking AR in Selective Cells1

PubMed Central

Chang, Chawnshang; Lee, Soo Ok; Wang, Ruey-Sheng; Yeh, Shuyuan; Chang, Ta-Min

2013-01-01

ABSTRACT Androgens/androgen receptor (AR) signaling is involved primarily in the development of male-specific phenotypes during embryogenesis, spermatogenesis, sexual behavior, and fertility during adult life. However, this signaling has also been shown to play an important role in development of female reproductive organs and their functions, such as ovarian folliculogenesis, embryonic implantation, and uterine and breast development. The establishment of the testicular feminization (Tfm) mouse model exploiting the X-linked Tfm mutation in mice has been a good in vivo tool for studying the human complete androgen insensitivity syndrome, but this mouse may not be the perfect in vivo model. Mouse models with various cell-specific AR knockout (ARKO) might allow us to study AR roles in individual types of cells in these male and female reproductive systems, although discrepancies are found in results between labs, probably due to using various Cre mice and/or knocking out AR in different AR domains. Nevertheless, no doubt exists that the continuous development of these ARKO mouse models and careful studies will provide information useful for understanding AR roles in reproductive systems of humans and may help us to develop more effective and more specific therapeutic approaches for reproductive system-related diseases. PMID:23782840

Prostate Cancer Cells Express More Androgen Receptor (AR) Following Androgen Deprivation, Improving Recognition by AR-Specific T Cells.

PubMed

Olson, Brian M; Gamat, Melissa; Seliski, Joseph; Sawicki, Thomas; Jeffery, Justin; Ellis, Leigh; Drake, Charles G; Weichert, Jamey; McNeel, Douglas G

2017-12-01

Androgen deprivation is the primary therapy for recurrent prostate cancer, and agents targeting the androgen receptor (AR) pathway continue to be developed. Because androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT) has immmunostimulatory effects as well as direct antitumor effects, AR-targeted therapies have been combined with other anticancer therapies, including immunotherapies. Here, we sought to study whether an antigen-specific mechanism of resistance to ADT (overexpression of the AR) may result in enhanced AR-specific T-cell immune recognition, and whether this might be strategically combined with an antitumor vaccine targeting the AR. Androgen deprivation increased AR expression in human and murine prostate tumor cells in vitro and in vivo The increased expression persisted over time. Increased AR expression was associated with recognition and cytolytic activity by AR-specific T cells. Furthermore, ADT combined with vaccination, specifically a DNA vaccine encoding the ligand-binding domain of the AR, led to improved antitumor responses as measured by tumor volumes and delays in the emergence of castrate-resistant prostate tumors in two murine prostate cancer models (Myc-CaP and prostate-specific PTEN-deficient mice). Together, these data suggest that ADT combined with AR-directed immunotherapy targets a major mechanism of resistance, overexpression of the AR. This combination may be more effective than ADT combined with other immunotherapeutic approaches. Cancer Immunol Res; 5(12); 1074-85. ©2017 AACR . ©2017 American Association for Cancer Research.

40Ar/ 39Ar ages and paleomagnetism of São Miguel lavas, Azores

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johnson, Catherine L.; Wijbrans, Jan R.; Constable, Catherine G.; Gee, Jeff; Staudigel, Hubert; Tauxe, Lisa; Forjaz, Victor-H.; Salgueiro, Mário

1998-08-01

We present new 40Ar/ 39Ar ages and paleomagnetic data for São Miguel island, Azores. Paleomagnetic samples were obtained for 34 flows and one dike; successful mean paleomagnetic directions were obtained for 28 of these 35 sites. 40Ar/ 39Ar age determinations on 12 flows from the Nordeste complex were attempted successfully: ages obtained are between 0.78 Ma and 0.88 Ma, in contrast to published K-Ar ages of 1 Ma to 4 Ma. Our radiometric ages are consistent with the reverse polarity paleomagnetic field directions, and indicate that the entire exposed part of the Nordeste complex is of a late Matuyama age. The duration of volcanism across São Miguel is significantly less than previously believed, which has important implications for regional melt generation processes, and temporal sampling of the geomagnetic field. Observed stable isotope and trace element trends across the island can be explained, at least in part, by communication between different magma source regions at depth. The 40Ar/ 39Ar ages indicate that our normal polarity paleomagnetic data sample at least 0.1 Myr (0-0.1 Ma) and up to 0.78 Myr (0-0.78 Ma) of paleosecular variation and our reverse polarity data sample approximately 0.1 Myr (0.78-0.88 Ma) of paleosecular variation. Our results demonstrate that precise radiometric dating of numerous flows sampled is essential to accurate inferences of long-term geomagnetic field behavior. Negative inclination anomalies are observed for both the normal and reverse polarity time-averaged field. Within the data uncertainties, normal and reverse polarity field directions are antipodal, but the reverse polarity field shows a significant deviation from a geocentric axial dipole direction.

Denitrification in nitrate-rich streams: Application of N2:Ar and 15N-tracer methods in intact cores

USGS Publications Warehouse

Smith, Lesley K.; Voytek, M.A.; Böhlke, J.K.; Harvey, J.W.

2006-01-01

Rates of benthic denitrification were measured using two techniques, membrane inlet mass spectrometry (MIMS) and isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS), applied to sediment cores from two NO3--rich streams draining agricultural land in the upper Mississippi River Basin. Denitrification was estimated simultaneously from measurements of N 2:Ar (MIMS) and 15N[N2] (IRMS) after the addition of low-level 15NO3- tracer ( 15N:N = 0.03-0.08) in stream water overlying intact sediment cores. Denitrification rates ranged from about 0 to 4400 lmol N??m -2??h-1 in Sugar Creek and from 0 to 1300 ??mol N??m-2??h-1 in Iroquois River, the latter of which possesses greater streamflow discharge and a more homogeneous streambed and water column. Within the uncertainties of the two techniques, there is good agreement between the MIMS and IRMS results, which indicates that the production of N2 by the coupled process of nitrification/denitrification was relatively unimportant and surface-water NO3- was the dominant source of NO3- for benthic denitrification in these streams. Variation in stream NO3- concentration (from about 20 ??mol/L during low discharge to 1000 ??mol/L during high discharge) was a significant control of benthic denitrification rates, judging from the more abundant MIMS data. The interpretation that NO3- concentration directly affects denitrification rate was corroborated by increased rates of denitrification in cores amended with NO 3-. Denitrification in Sugar Creek removed ???11% per day of the instream NO3- in late spring and removed roughly 15-20% in late summer. The fraction of NO3- removed in Iroquois River was less than that of Sugar Creek. Although benthic denitrification rates were relatively high during periods of high stream flow, when NO3 concentrations were also high, the increase in benthic denitrification could not compensate for the much larger increase in stream NO3- fluxes during high flow. Consequently, fractional NO3- losses were relatively low

Effects of sample size, number of markers, and allelic richness on the detection of spatial genetic pattern

USGS Publications Warehouse

Landguth, Erin L.; Gedy, Bradley C.; Oyler-McCance, Sara J.; Garey, Andrew L.; Emel, Sarah L.; Mumma, Matthew; Wagner, Helene H.; Fortin, Marie-Josée; Cushman, Samuel A.

2012-01-01

The influence of study design on the ability to detect the effects of landscape pattern on gene flow is one of the most pressing methodological gaps in landscape genetic research. To investigate the effect of study design on landscape genetics inference, we used a spatially-explicit, individual-based program to simulate gene flow in a spatially continuous population inhabiting a landscape with gradual spatial changes in resistance to movement. We simulated a wide range of combinations of number of loci, number of alleles per locus and number of individuals sampled from the population. We assessed how these three aspects of study design influenced the statistical power to successfully identify the generating process among competing hypotheses of isolation-by-distance, isolation-by-barrier, and isolation-by-landscape resistance using a causal modelling approach with partial Mantel tests. We modelled the statistical power to identify the generating process as a response surface for equilibrium and non-equilibrium conditions after introduction of isolation-by-landscape resistance. All three variables (loci, alleles and sampled individuals) affect the power of causal modelling, but to different degrees. Stronger partial Mantel r correlations between landscape distances and genetic distances were found when more loci were used and when loci were more variable, which makes comparisons of effect size between studies difficult. Number of individuals did not affect the accuracy through mean equilibrium partial Mantel r, but larger samples decreased the uncertainty (increasing the precision) of equilibrium partial Mantel r estimates. We conclude that amplifying more (and more variable) loci is likely to increase the power of landscape genetic inferences more than increasing number of individuals.

Effects of sample size, number of markers, and allelic richness on the detection of spatial genetic pattern

USGS Publications Warehouse

Landguth, E.L.; Fedy, B.C.; Oyler-McCance, S.J.; Garey, A.L.; Emel, S.L.; Mumma, M.; Wagner, H.H.; Fortin, M.-J.; Cushman, S.A.

2012-01-01

The influence of study design on the ability to detect the effects of landscape pattern on gene flow is one of the most pressing methodological gaps in landscape genetic research. To investigate the effect of study design on landscape genetics inference, we used a spatially-explicit, individual-based program to simulate gene flow in a spatially continuous population inhabiting a landscape with gradual spatial changes in resistance to movement. We simulated a wide range of combinations of number of loci, number of alleles per locus and number of individuals sampled from the population. We assessed how these three aspects of study design influenced the statistical power to successfully identify the generating process among competing hypotheses of isolation-by-distance, isolation-by-barrier, and isolation-by-landscape resistance using a causal modelling approach with partial Mantel tests. We modelled the statistical power to identify the generating process as a response surface for equilibrium and non-equilibrium conditions after introduction of isolation-by-landscape resistance. All three variables (loci, alleles and sampled individuals) affect the power of causal modelling, but to different degrees. Stronger partial Mantel r correlations between landscape distances and genetic distances were found when more loci were used and when loci were more variable, which makes comparisons of effect size between studies difficult. Number of individuals did not affect the accuracy through mean equilibrium partial Mantel r, but larger samples decreased the uncertainty (increasing the precision) of equilibrium partial Mantel r estimates. We conclude that amplifying more (and more variable) loci is likely to increase the power of landscape genetic inferences more than increasing number of individuals. ?? 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Human minisatellite alleles detectable only after PCR amplification.

PubMed

Armour, J A; Crosier, M; Jeffreys, A J

1992-01-01

We present evidence that a proportion of alleles at two human minisatellite loci is undetected by standard Southern blot hybridization. In each case the missing allele(s) can be identified after PCR amplification and correspond to tandem arrays too short to detect by hybridization. At one locus, there is only one undetected allele (population frequency 0.3), which contains just three repeat units. At the second locus, there are at least five undetected alleles (total population frequency 0.9) containing 60-120 repeats; they are not detected because these tandem repeats give very poor signals when used as a probe in standard Southern blot hybridization, and also cross-hybridize with other sequences in the genome. Under these circumstances only signals from the longest tandemly repeated alleles are detectable above the nonspecific background. The structures of these loci have been compared in human and primate DNA, and at one locus the short human allele containing three repeat units is shown to be an intermediate state in the expansion of a monomeric precursor allele in primates to high copy number in the longer human arrays. We discuss the implications of such loci for studies of human populations, minisatellite isolation by cloning, and the evolution of highly variable tandem arrays.

Mass Spectrometric and Langmuir Probe Measurements in Inductively Coupled Plasmas in Ar, CHF3/Ar and CHF3/Ar/O2 Mixtures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kim, J. S.; Rao, M. V. V. S.; Cappelli, M. A.; Sharma, S. P.; Meyyappan, M.; Arnold, Jim (Technical Monitor)

2000-01-01

Absolute fluxes and energy distributions of ions in inductively coupled plasmas of Ar, CHF3/Ar, and CHF3/Ar/O2 have been measured. These plasmas were generated in a Gaseous Electronics Conference (GEC) cell modified for inductive coupling at pressures 10-50 mTorr and 100-300 W of 13.56 MHz radio frequency (RF) power in various feedgas mixtures. In pure Ar plasmas, the Ar(+) flux increases linearly with pressure as well as RF-power. Total ion flux in CHF3 mixtures decreases with increase in pressure and also CHF3 concentration. Relative ion fluxes observed in the present studies are analyzed with the help of available cross sections for electron impact ionization and charge-exchange ion-molecule reactions. Measurements of plasma potential, electron and ion number densities, electron energy distribution function, and mean electron energy have also been made in the center of the plasma with a RF compensated Langmuir probe. Plasma potential values are compared with the mean ion energies determined from the measured ion energy distributions and are consistent. Electron temperature, plasma potential, and mean ion energy vary inversely with pressure, but increase with CHF3 content in the mixture.

ARS-Media for excel instruction manual

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

ARS-Media for Excel Instruction Manual is the instruction manual that explains how to use the Excel spreadsheet ARS-Media for Excel application. ARS-Media for Excel Instruction Manual is provided as a pdf file....

Specific modification of polysulfone with cluster bombardment with assistance of Ar ion irradiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Guochun; Hibino, Y.; Awazu, K.; Tanihara, M.; Imanishi, Y.

2000-02-01

Objective: To develop a rapid method for the modification of polysulfone with ammonium sulfamate with the assistance of Ar ion irradiation with a multi-source cluster deposition apparatus. These surfaces mimicking the structure of heparin, a bioactive molecule, have a high anti-thrombosis property. Experimental Design: Polysulfone film, setting on a turning holder, was irradiated by Ar ions during bombardment with ammonium sulfamate clusters. The Ar ion source serves for the activation of a polymer surface and a cluster ion source supplies ammonium sulfamate molecules to react with the activated surface. After thorough washing with de-ionized sterile water, the modified surfaces were evaluated in terms of the contact angle of water, elemental composition, and binding state on electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis and platelet adhesion with platelet rich plasma. Results: The modification of polysulfone decreased the contact angle of water on surfaces from 82.6 ° down to 34.5 °. Ammonium, amine, sulfate, and thiophene combinations were formed on the modified surfaces. The adhesion numbers of the platelet were decreased to one tenth compared to the original surface. The same process was also applied to other polymers such as polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene and similar outcomes were also observed. Conclusion: The primary studies showed successful modification of polysulfone with ammonium sulfamate with the assistance of Ar ion irradiation. Since the same concept can also be applied to other materials with various substrates, combined with the features of no solvent and no topographic changes, this method might be developed into a promising way for modification of polymeric materials.

Alleles versus mutations: Understanding the evolution of genetic architecture requires a molecular perspective on allelic origins.

PubMed

Remington, David L

2015-12-01

Perspectives on the role of large-effect quantitative trait loci (QTL) in the evolution of complex traits have shifted back and forth over the past few decades. Different sets of studies have produced contradictory insights on the evolution of genetic architecture. I argue that much of the confusion results from a failure to distinguish mutational and allelic effects, a limitation of using the Fisherian model of adaptive evolution as the lens through which the evolution of adaptive variation is examined. A molecular-based perspective reveals that allelic differences can involve the cumulative effects of many mutations plus intragenic recombination, a model that is supported by extensive empirical evidence. I discuss how different selection regimes could produce very different architectures of allelic effects under a molecular-based model, which may explain conflicting insights on genetic architecture from studies of variation within populations versus between divergently selected populations. I address shortcomings of genome-wide association study (GWAS) practices in light of more suitable models of allelic evolution, and suggest alternate GWAS strategies to generate more valid inferences about genetic architecture. Finally, I discuss how adopting more suitable models of allelic evolution could help redirect research on complex trait evolution toward addressing more meaningful questions in evolutionary biology. © 2015 The Author(s). Evolution © 2015 The Society for the Study of Evolution.

Accurate Laboratory Measurements of Vibration-Rotation Transitions of 36ArH^+ and 38ArH+

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cueto, Maite; Cernicharo, Jose; Herrero, Victor Jose; Tanarro, Isabel; Domenech, Jose Luis

2014-06-01

The protonated Ar ion 36ArH^+ has recently been identified in space, in the Crab Nebula, from Herschel spectra. Its R(0) and R(1) transitions lie at 617.5 and 1234.6 GHz, respectively, where atmospheric transmission is rather poor, even for a site as good as that of ALMA. As an alternative, especially after the end of the Herschel mission, rovibrational transitions of ArH^+ could be observed in absorption against bright background sources such as the galactic center, or other objects. We report on accurate laboratory wavenumber measurements of 19 lines of the v=1-0 band of 36ArH^+ and 38ArH^+, using a hollow cathode discharge cell, a difference frequency laser spectrometer and Ar with natural isotopic composition. Of those lines, only eight had been reported before and with much less accuracy. The data have also been used in a Dunham-type global fit of all published laboratory data (IR and sub-mm) of all isotopologues. Barlow et al., Science, 342, 1343 (2013) R.R. Filgueira and C.E. Blom, J. Mol. Spectrosc., 127, 279 (1988) M. Cueto et al, Astrophys. J. Lett, 783, L5 (2014)

Molecular modeling of the effects of 40Ar recoil in illite particles on their K-Ar isotope dating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Szczerba, Marek; Derkowski, Arkadiusz; Kalinichev, Andrey G.; Środoń, Jan

2015-06-01

The radioactive decay of 40K to 40Ar is the basis of isotope age determination of micaceous clay minerals formed during diagenesis. The difference in K-Ar ages between fine and coarse grained illite particles has been interpreted using detrital-authigenic components system, its crystallization history or post-crystallization diffusion. Yet another mechanism should also be considered: natural 40Ar recoil. Whether this recoil mechanism can result in a significant enough loss of 40Ar to provide observable decrease of K-Ar age of the finest illite crystallites at diagenetic temperatures - is the primary objective of this study which is based on molecular dynamics (MD) computer simulations. All the simulations were performed for the same kinetic energy (initial velocity) of the 40Ar atom, but for varying recoil angles that cover the entire range of their possible values. The results show that 40Ar recoil can lead to various deformations of the illite structure, often accompanied by the displacement of OH groups or breaking of the Si-O bonds. Depending on the recoil angle, there are four possible final positions of the 40Ar atom with respect to the 2:1 layer at the end of the simulation: it can remain in the interlayer space or end up in the closest tetrahedral, octahedral or the opposite tetrahedral sheet. No simulation angles were found for which the 40Ar atom after recoil passes completely through the 2:1 layer. The energy barrier for 40Ar passing through the hexagonal cavity from the tetrahedral sheet into the interlayer was calculated to be 17 kcal/mol. This reaction is strongly exothermic, therefore there is almost no possibility for 40Ar to remain in the tetrahedral sheet of the 2:1 layer over geological time periods. It will either leave the crystal, if close enough to the edge, or return to the interlayer space. On the other hand, if 40Ar ends up in the octahedral sheet after recoil, a substantially higher energy barrier of 55 kcal/mol prevents it from leaving

Significance of the cosmogenic argon correction in deciphering the 40Ar/39Ar ages of the Nakhlite (Martian) meteorites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cohen, B. E.; Cassata, W.; Mark, D. F.; Tomkinson, T.; Lee, M. R.; Smith, C. L.

2015-12-01

All meteorites contain variable amounts of cosmogenic 38Ar and 36Ar produced during extraterrestrial exposure, and in order to calculate reliable 40Ar/39Ar ages this cosmogenic Ar must be removed from the total Ar budget. The amount of cosmogenic Ar has usually been calculated from the step-wise 38Ar/36Ar, minimum 36Ar/37Ar, or average 38Arcosmogenic/37Ar from the irradiated meteorite fragment. However, if Cl is present in the meteorite, then these values will be disturbed by Ar produced during laboratory neutron irradiation of Cl. Chlorine is likely to be a particular issue for the Nakhlite group of Martian meteorites, which can contain over 1000 ppm Cl [1]. An alternative method for the cosmogenic Ar correction uses the meteorite's exposure age as calculated from an un-irradiated fragment and step-wise production rates based on the measured Ca/K [2]. This calculation is independent of the Cl concentration. We applied this correction method to seven Nakhlites, analyzed in duplicate or triplicate. Selected samples were analyzed at both Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and SUERC to ensure inter-laboratory reproducibility. We find that the cosmogenic argon correction of [2] has a significant influence on the ages calculated for individual steps, particularly for those at lower temperatures (i.e., differences of several tens of million years for some steps). The lower-temperature steps are more influenced by the alternate cosmogenic correction method of [2], as these analyses yielded higher concentrations of Cl-derived 38Ar. As a result, the Nakhlite data corrected using [2] yields step-heating spectra that are flat or nearly so across >70% of the release spectra (in contrast to downward-stepping spectra often reported for Nakhlite samples), allowing for the calculation of precise emplacement ages for these meteorites. [1] Cartwright J. A. et al. (2013) GCA, 105, 255-293. [2] Cassata W. S., and Borg L. E. (2015) 46th LPSC, Abstract #2742.

Call for Development of New Mineral Standards for 40Ar/39Ar Dating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deino, A. L.; Turrin, B. D.; Renne, P. R.; Hemming, S. R.

2015-12-01

Age determination via the 40Ar/39Ar dating method relies on the intercomparison of measured 40Ar*/39ArK ratios of geological unknowns with those of co-irradiated mineral standards. Good analytical procedure dictates that these ratios (and the evolution of the Ar ion beams underpinning them) be as similar as practical for the greatest accuracy. Unfortunately, throughout several intervals of the geological time scale this 'best practice' cannot be achieved with existing widely used standards. Only two internationally utilized sanidine standards are available for the middle to late Cenozoic: the Alder Creek Rhyolite sanidine (ACs), at ~1.2 Ma (Turrin et al., 1994; Nomade et al., 2005), and the Fish Canyon Tuff sanidine (FCs) at ~28.2 Ma (e.g., Kuiper et al., 2008; Renne et al, 2011). The situation is even worse throughout much of the rest of the Phanerozoic, as the next oldest standard in common use is the Hb3gr hornblende standard with an age of ~1.1 Ga (Turner, 1971; Jourdan et al., 2006). We propose, as a community effort, the development a set of standards covering the entire target range of high-precision 40Ar/39Ar dating, i.e. the Phanerozoic. Their ages would be stepped in a regular fashion with no more than approximately a factor of 3 between standards, such that in the worse case the 40Ar*/39Ar ratios of standards and unknown need differ by no more than a factor of two. While somewhat arbitrary, an approximately 3 X age progression allows the entire time scale to be covered by a manageable number of standards. Anchoring the progression in the widely used ACs, FCs, and Hb3gr (in bold, below) yields the following set of suggested standard ages: 0.4, 1.2, 3.3, 9.4, 28.2, 95, 320, and 1100 Ma. A suitable standard should be highly reproducible in age at the grain-to-grain and sub-grain levels, and highly radiogenic. The mineral should be abundant and easily separated from the host rock. These criteria may be most easily achieved by focusing on sanidine phenocrysts

The role of mitochondrial fusion and StAR phosphorylation in the regulation of StAR activity and steroidogenesis.

PubMed

Castillo, Ana F; Orlando, Ulises; Helfenberger, Katia E; Poderoso, Cecilia; Podesta, Ernesto J

2015-06-15

The steroidogenic acute regulatory (StAR) protein regulates the rate-limiting step in steroidogenesis, i.e. the delivery of cholesterol from the outer (OMM) to the inner (IMM) mitochondrial membrane. StAR is a 37-kDa protein with an N-terminal mitochondrial targeting sequence that is cleaved off during mitochondrial import to yield 30-kDa intramitochondrial StAR. StAR acts exclusively on the OMM and its activity is proportional to how long it remains on the OMM. However, the precise fashion and the molecular mechanism in which StAR remains on the OMM have not been elucidated yet. In this work we will discuss the role of mitochondrial fusion and StAR phosphorylation by the extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1/2 (ERK1/2) as part of the mechanism that regulates StAR retention on the OMM and activity. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

``Smoking From The Same Pipe": Developement of an 40Ar/39Ar Datting Intercalibration PIpette System (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Turrin, B. D.; Swisher, C. C.; Deino, A.; Hemming, S. R.; Hodges, K.; Renne, P. R.

2010-12-01

The precision and accuracy of Ar isotope ratio measurements is one of the main limiting factors in the uncertainties of an 40Ar/39Ar age. Currently, it is relatively common to measure Ar isotopic ratios to a precision of 1-2‰ or better on an intralaboratory basis. This level of analytical precision equates to a comparable level of precision (1-3‰) in the calculated age, depending on the extent of atmospheric Ar contamination, importance of nucleogenic interference corrections, and other factors. However, it has become clear that improving the precision of mass spectrometry is not the only bottleneck towards improving the accuracy and precision of 40Ar/39Ar dating in general. Rather, the most urgent issue is interlaboratory reproducibility. This became obvious in a recent EARTHTIME initiative undertaken to intercalibrate two commonly used 40Ar/39Ar standards [the Fish Canyon sanidine (FCs) and the Alder Creek sanidine (ACs)]. This effort revealed variations amongst laboratories (at the 1-2% level), an order of magnitude greater than the internal analytical precisions. To address these issues, we have proposed (to NSF) to construct two identical pipette systems loaded to identical starting pressures and with identical isotopic compositions. One pipette system will travel between participating 40Ar/39Ar labs and the second system will not travel and serve as the “Master” system to test for any fractionation or undocumented depletion of the traveling pipette system. In order to ensure delivery of uniform amounts of homogenous gas, the pipette system will be computer-controlled with preprogrammed routines and lockouts to prevent compromising the reservoirs. The pipette systems will deliver three gas samples with different isotopic ratios at two different pressures/concentrations. One pipette bulb will be of atmospheric isotopic composition, and the other two pipette bulbs will have 40Ar*/39ArK ratios corresponding to co-irradiated ACs and FCs fixed by their

Spectroscopic and electric dipole properties of Sr+Ar and SrAr systems including high excited states

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hamdi, Rafika; Abdessalem, Kawther; Dardouri, Riadh; Al-Ghamdi, Attieh A.; Oujia, Brahim; Gadéa, Florent Xavier

2018-01-01

The spectroscopic properties of the fundamental and several excited states of Sr+Ar and SrAr, Van der Waals systems are investigated by employing an ab initio method in a pseudo-potential approach. The potential energy curves and the spectroscopic parameters are displayed for the 1-10 2Σ+, 1-6 2Π and 1-3 2Δ electronic states of the Sr+Ar molecule and for the 1-6 1Σ+, 1-4 3Σ+, 1-3 1,3Π and 1-3 1,3Δ states of the neutral molecule SrAr. In addition, from these curves, the vibrational levels and their energy spacing are deduced for Σ+, Π and Δ symmetries. The spectra of the permanent and transition dipole moments are studied for the 1,3Σ+ states of SrAr, which are considered to be two-electron systems and 2Σ+ states of the single electron Sr+Ar ion. The spectroscopic parameters obtained for each molecular system are compared with previous theoretical and experimental works. A significant correlation revealed the accuracy of our results.

(Ar-39)-(Ar-40) dating of mesosiderites - Evidence for major parent body disruption less than 4 Ga ago

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bogard, D. D.; Jordan, J. L.; Garrison, D. H.; Mittlefehldt, D.

1990-01-01

The (Ar-39) (Ar-40) chronologies were determined for 14 different mesosiderites representing the full range of classification according to recrystallization, and these chronologies were compared with analogous data for other meteorite types and for lunar highland rocks. Results of Ar-Ar chronologies indicate the history of a degassing of Ar due to a major thermal event that occurred less than 3.9 Ga ago; this event is not the metal-silicate mixing event, which is known to have occurred earlier than 4.4 Ga ago. It is suggested that a major collisional disruption-reassembly event less than 3.9 Ga ago took place, leaving the metal-silicate breccias buried under tens of kilometers of rubble, where they cooled slowly through the Ar closure temperatures.

Nucleation and Spread of an Invasive Allele

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Korniss, Gyorgy; Caraco, Thomas

2005-03-01

We analyze a prototypical discrete spatial model for the spread of an invasive allele when individuals compete preemptively for common limiting resources. Initially, the population is genetically monomorphic with the resident allele at high density. The invasive allele is introduced through rare, but recurrent, mutation. The mutant allele is the better competitor (has an individual-level advantage) but its spread is limited by the local availability of resources. We find that each successful introduction of the mutant leads to strong spatial clustering. Spatial patterns in simulation resemble nucleation and subsequent growth, articulately described by Avrami's law in sufficiently large systemsootnotetextG. Korniss and T. Caraco, J. Theor. Biol. (in press, 2004); http://www.rpi.edu/ korniss/Research/JTB04.pdf.

Evidence for shock heating and constraints on Martian surface temperatures revealed by 40Ar/ 39Ar thermochronometry of Martian meteorites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cassata, William S.; Shuster, David L.; Renne, Paul R.; Weiss, Benjamin P.

2010-12-01

The thermal histories of Martian meteorite are important for the interpretation of petrologic, geochemical, geochronological, and paleomagnetic constraints that they provide on the evolution of Mars. In this paper, we quantify 40Ar/ 39Ar ages and Ar diffusion kinetics of Martian meteorites Allan Hills (ALH) 84001, Nakhla, and Miller Range (MIL) 03346. We constrain the thermal history of each meteorite and discuss the resulting implications for their petrology, paleomagnetism, and geochronology. Maskelynite in ALH 84001 yields a 40Ar/ 39Ar isochron age of 4163 ± 35 Ma, which is indistinguishable from recent Pb-Pb ( Bouvier et al., 2009a) and Lu-Hf ages ( Lapen et al., 2010). The high precision of this result arises from clear resolution of a reproducible trapped 40Ar/ 36Ar component in maskelynite in ALH 84001 ( 40Ar/ 36Ar = 632 ± 90). The maskelynite 40Ar/ 39Ar age predates the Late Heavy Bombardment and likely represents the time at which the original natural remanent magnetization (NRM) component observed in ALH 84001 was acquired. Nakhla and MIL 03346 yield 40Ar/ 39Ar isochron ages of 1332 ± 24 and 1339 ± 8 Ma, respectively, which we interpret to date crystallization. Multi-phase, multi-domain diffusion models constrained by the observed Ar diffusion kinetics and 40Ar/ 39Ar age spectra suggest that localized regions within both ALH 84001 and Nakhla were intensely heated for brief durations during shock events at 1158 ± 110 and 913 ± 9 Ma, respectively. These ages may date the marginal melting of pyroxene in each rock, mobilization of carbonates and maskelynite in ALH 84001, and NRM overprints observed in ALH 84001. The inferred peak temperatures of the shock heating events (>1400 °C) are sufficient to mobilize Ar, Sr, and Pb in constituent minerals, which may explain some of the dispersion observed in 40Ar/ 39Ar, Rb-Sr, and U-Th-Pb data toward ages younger than ˜4.1 Ga. The data also place conservative upper bounds on the long-duration residence

Assigning breed origin to alleles in crossbred animals.

PubMed

Vandenplas, Jérémie; Calus, Mario P L; Sevillano, Claudia A; Windig, Jack J; Bastiaansen, John W M

2016-08-22

For some species, animal production systems are based on the use of crossbreeding to take advantage of the increased performance of crossbred compared to purebred animals. Effects of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) may differ between purebred and crossbred animals for several reasons: (1) differences in linkage disequilibrium between SNP alleles and a quantitative trait locus; (2) differences in genetic backgrounds (e.g., dominance and epistatic interactions); and (3) differences in environmental conditions, which result in genotype-by-environment interactions. Thus, SNP effects may be breed-specific, which has led to the development of genomic evaluations for crossbred performance that take such effects into account. However, to estimate breed-specific effects, it is necessary to know breed origin of alleles in crossbred animals. Therefore, our aim was to develop an approach for assigning breed origin to alleles of crossbred animals (termed BOA) without information on pedigree and to study its accuracy by considering various factors, including distance between breeds. The BOA approach consists of: (1) phasing genotypes of purebred and crossbred animals; (2) assigning breed origin to phased haplotypes; and (3) assigning breed origin to alleles of crossbred animals based on a library of assigned haplotypes, the breed composition of crossbred animals, and their SNP genotypes. The accuracy of allele assignments was determined for simulated datasets that include crosses between closely-related, distantly-related and unrelated breeds. Across these scenarios, the percentage of alleles of a crossbred animal that were correctly assigned to their breed origin was greater than 90 %, and increased with increasing distance between breeds, while the percentage of incorrectly assigned alleles was always less than 2 %. For the remaining alleles, i.e. 0 to 10 % of all alleles of a crossbred animal, breed origin could not be assigned. The BOA approach accurately assigns

Use of allele scores as instrumental variables for Mendelian randomization

PubMed Central

Burgess, Stephen; Thompson, Simon G

2013-01-01

Background An allele score is a single variable summarizing multiple genetic variants associated with a risk factor. It is calculated as the total number of risk factor-increasing alleles for an individual (unweighted score), or the sum of weights for each allele corresponding to estimated genetic effect sizes (weighted score). An allele score can be used in a Mendelian randomization analysis to estimate the causal effect of the risk factor on an outcome. Methods Data were simulated to investigate the use of allele scores in Mendelian randomization where conventional instrumental variable techniques using multiple genetic variants demonstrate ‘weak instrument’ bias. The robustness of estimates using the allele score to misspecification (for example non-linearity, effect modification) and to violations of the instrumental variable assumptions was assessed. Results Causal estimates using a correctly specified allele score were unbiased with appropriate coverage levels. The estimates were generally robust to misspecification of the allele score, but not to instrumental variable violations, even if the majority of variants in the allele score were valid instruments. Using a weighted rather than an unweighted allele score increased power, but the increase was small when genetic variants had similar effect sizes. Naive use of the data under analysis to choose which variants to include in an allele score, or for deriving weights, resulted in substantial biases. Conclusions Allele scores enable valid causal estimates with large numbers of genetic variants. The stringency of criteria for genetic variants in Mendelian randomization should be maintained for all variants in an allele score. PMID:24062299

Fourier-transform MW spectroscopy of the SH({sup 2}{Pi}{sub i})-Ar and SD-Ar radical complexes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sumiyoshi, Yoshihiro; Endo, Yasuki; Ohshima, Yasuhiro

1996-12-31

The authors have studied the SH({sup 2}{Pi}{sub i})-Ar and SD-Ar radical complexes with FTMW spectroscopy. The complexes were produced in a supersonic free jet by a pulsed discharge of H{sub 2}S or D{sub 2}S, which was diluted to 0.35% in Ar with a stagnation pressure of 2 atm. R-branch transitions in the lower spin-orbit component ({Omega}=3/2) for the linear {sup 2}{Pi}{sub i} radicals were observed for J{double_prime} = 3/2 to J{double_prime} = 15/2 in the 8-26 GHz region. The transitions were split into two parity components owing to the parity doubling. Each parity component was split further due to themore » magnetic hyperfine interaction associated with the H/D nucleus. Rotational constants for SH-Ar and SD-Ar were determined to be 1569.656(2) and 1567.707(2)MHz respectively. The value for SH-Ar agrees well with that of a previous LIF study. From the SH/SD data, it was confirmed that the argon atom is located at the hydrogen side of the SH radical. With an assumption that the S-H bond length is equal to that in the monomer, the H-Ar distance is calculated to be 2.900 {Angstrom}, which is about 0.1 {Angstrom} longer than that in OH-Ar. The effective D{sub J} constants of SH-Ar and SD-Ar were found to have negative values of -58.4(7) and -50.7(6), kHz respectively.« less

Differential unroofing within the central metasedimentary Belt of the Grenville Orogen: constraints from 40Ar/39Ar thermochronology

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cosca, M.A.; Essene, E.J.; Kunk, Michael J.; Sutter, J.F.

1992-01-01

An 40Ar/39Ar thermochronological investigation of upper greenschist to granulite facies gneiss, amphibolite and marble was conducted in the Central Metasedimentary Belt (CMB), Ontario, to constrain its cooling history. Incremental 40Ar/39Ar release spectra indicate that substantial differential unroofing occurred in the CMB between ??? 1000 and ??? 600 Ma. A consistent pattern of significantly older hornblende and phlogopite 40Ar/3Ar cooling ages on the southeast sides of major northeast striking shear zones is interpreted to reflect late displacement due to extensional deformation. Variations in hornblende 40Ar/39Ar age plateaus exceeding 200 Ma occur over distances less than 50 km with major age discontinuities occurring across the Robertson Lake shear zone and the Sharbot Lake mylonite zone which separate the Sharbot Lake terrane from the Elzevir and Frontenac terranes. Extensional displacements of up to 14 km are inferred between the Frontenac and Elzevir terranes of the CMB. No evidence for significant post argon-closure vertical displacement is indicated in the vicinity of the Perth Road mylonite within the Frontenac terrane. Variations of nearly 100 Ma in phlogopite 40Ar/39Ar plateau ages occur in undeformed marble on either side of the Bancroft Shear Zone. Phlogopites from sheared and mylonitized marble within the shear zone yield 40Ar/39Ar diffusional loss profiles, but have older geologically meaningless ages thought to reflect incorporation of excess argon. By ??? 900 Ma, southeast directed extension was occurring throughout the CMB, possibly initiated along previous zones of compressional shearing. An easterly migration of active zones of extension is inferred, possibly related to an earlier, overall easterly migration of active zones of regional thrusting and easterly migration of an ancient subduction zone. The duration of extensional shearing is not well constrained, but must have ceased before ??? 600 Ma as required by the deposition of overlying

Planar defects as Ar traps in trioctahedral micas: A mechanism for increased Ar retentivity in phlogopite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Camacho, A.; Lee, J. K. W.; Fitz Gerald, J. D.; Zhao, J.; Abdu, Y. A.; Jenkins, D. M.; Hawthorne, F. C.; Kyser, T. K.; Creaser, R. A.; Armstrong, R.; Heaman, L. W.

2012-08-01

The effects of planar defects and composition on Ar mobility in trioctahedral micas have been investigated in samples from a small marble outcrop (∼500 m2) in the Frontenac Terrane, Grenville Province, Ontario. These micas crystallized during amphibolite-facies metamorphism at ∼1170 Ma and experienced a thermal pulse ∼100 Ma later at shallow crustal levels associated with the emplacement of plutons. 87Rb/86Sr ages of the phlogopites range from ∼950 to ∼1050 Ma, consistent with resetting during the later thermal event. The same phlogopites however, give 40Ar/39Ar ages between ∼950 and 1160 Ma, spanning the age range of the two thermal events. This result is intriguing because these micas have undergone the same thermal history and were not deformed after peak metamorphic conditions. In order to understand this phenomenon, the chemical, crystallographical, and microstructural nature of four mica samples has been characterized in detail using a wide range of analytical techniques. The scanning electron microscope (SEM), electron microprobe (EMP), and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) data show that the micas are chemically homogeneous (with the exception of Ba) and similar in composition. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and Mossbauer results show that the M sites for three of the micas are dominated by divalent cations and the Fe3+/(Fe2++Fe3+) ratio for all four phlogopites ranges from 0.10 to 0.25. The stable-isotopic data for calcite indicate that this outcrop was not affected by hydrothermal fluids after peak metamorphism. No correlation between chemical composition and 87Rb/86Sr and 40Ar/39Ar age or between crystal size and 40Ar/39Ar age is observed. The only major difference among all of the micas was revealed through transmitted electron microscope (TEM), which shows that the older 1M micas contain significantly more layer stacking defects, associated with crystallization, than the younger micas. We

ALEA: a toolbox for allele-specific epigenomics analysis.

PubMed

Younesy, Hamid; Möller, Torsten; Heravi-Moussavi, Alireza; Cheng, Jeffrey B; Costello, Joseph F; Lorincz, Matthew C; Karimi, Mohammad M; Jones, Steven J M

2014-04-15

The assessment of expression and epigenomic status using sequencing based methods provides an unprecedented opportunity to identify and correlate allelic differences with epigenomic status. We present ALEA, a computational toolbox for allele-specific epigenomics analysis, which incorporates allelic variation data within existing resources, allowing for the identification of significant associations between epigenetic modifications and specific allelic variants in human and mouse cells. ALEA provides a customizable pipeline of command line tools for allele-specific analysis of next-generation sequencing data (ChIP-seq, RNA-seq, etc.) that takes the raw sequencing data and produces separate allelic tracks ready to be viewed on genome browsers. The pipeline has been validated using human and hybrid mouse ChIP-seq and RNA-seq data. The package, test data and usage instructions are available online at http://www.bcgsc.ca/platform/bioinfo/software/alea CONTACT: : mkarimi1@interchange.ubc.ca or sjones@bcgsc.ca Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. © The Author 2013. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Expression of alpha-AR subtypes in T lymphocytes and role of the alpha-ARs in mediating modulation of T cell function.

PubMed

Bao, Jing-Yin; Huang, Yan; Wang, Feng; Peng, Yu-Ping; Qiu, Yi-Hua

2007-01-01

Previous work in our laboratory has shown that alpha-adrenoreceptors (alpha-ARs) and beta-ARs exist on lymphocytes from functional profile, and that the receptors mediate the regulation of lymphocyte function by catecholamines. In the present study, we directly examined the expression of alpha-AR subtypes, alpha(1)-AR and alpha(2)-AR mRNAs, in T lymphocytes and explored the roles of the alpha-AR subtypes and intracellular signal transduction mechanisms linked to the receptors in mediating the modulation of T lymphocyte function. T lymphocytes from mesenteric lymph nodes of rats were purified by using a nylon wool column. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction was used to detect the expression of alpha(1)-AR and alpha(2)-AR mRNAs in the freshly isolated T cells and the mitogen concanavalin A (Con A)-activated lymphocytes. Colorimetric methylthiazoletetrazolium assay was employed to measure lymphocyte proliferation induced by Con A. Interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) and interleukin-4 (IL-4) levels in the Con A-stimulated lymphocyte culture supernatants were examined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. T cells expressed both alpha(1)-AR and alpha(2)-AR mRNAs. The expression of both alpha(1)-AR and alpha(2)-AR mRNAs was significantly higher in the Con A-activated lymphocytes than in the resting lymphocytes. Phenylephrine, a selective alpha(1)-AR agonist, had no evident effect on lymphocyte proliferation nor on IFN-gamma and IL-4 production induced by Con A. However, the selective alpha(2)-AR agonist clonidine attenuated Con A-induced lymphocyte proliferation as well as IFN-gamma and IL-4 production. The inhibited lymphocyte proliferation and IFN-gamma and IL-4 production by clonidine were blocked by yohimbine, an alpha(2)-AR antagonist. Either phospholipase C inhibitor U-73122 or protein kinase C inhibitor chelerythrine partially prevented the suppressive effect of clonidine on Con A-stimulated lymphocyte proliferation and IL-4 production. T lymphocytes express

Schizophrenia and neurotrophin-3 alleles.

PubMed

Jŏnsson, E; Brené, S; Zhang, X R; Nimgaonkar, V L; Tylec, A; Schalling, M; Sedvall, G

1997-05-01

Studies of brain anatomy and premorbid functioning indicate that schizophrenia may be of neurodevelopmental origin. In the neurotrophic factor neurotrophin-3 (NT-3) gene, the A3/147-bp allele in a dinucleotide repeat polymorphism located in the promoter region was found to be associated with schizophrenia in a Japanese study. Another NT-3 polymorphism (Glu63Gly) indicated an association with schizophrenic patients with a putative neurodevelopmental form of the disease. We examined Swedish schizophrenic patients (n = 109) and control subjects (n = 78) for the same two NT-3 polymorphisms, as well as a third silent exonic polymorphism (at Pro55). No significant difference was found between the two groups. However, in a meta-analysis including the present and previous studies of Caucasian subjects, the A3/147-bp allele frequency was found to be significantly higher in the schizophrenic patients. In the present study, carriers of the A3/147 bp allele tended to have an earlier age of onset and to display more extrapyramidal symptoms. In the silent exonic polymorphism (at Pro55), female schizophrenic patients had higher adenine and lower guanine allele frequencies than control female subjects. Together with previous studies, the results provide some support for an association between the NT-3 gene and certain forms of schizophrenia. This warrants further investigation of NT-3 and other neurotrophic factors with additional polymorphisms and larger patient samples.

Ar-Ar and Rb-Sr Ages of the Tissint Olivine-phyric Martian Shergottite

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Park, J.; Herzog, G. F.; Nyquist, L. E.; Shih, C.-Y.; Turin, B.; Lindsay, F. N.; Delaney, J. S.; Swisher, C. C., III; Agee, C.

2013-01-01

The fifth martian meteorite fall, Tissint, is an olivine-phyric shergottite that contains olivine macrocrysts (approximately 1.5 mm) [1]. [2] reported the Sm-Nd age of Tissint as 596 plus or minus 23 Ma along with Rb-Sr data that defined no isochron. [3] reported Lu-Hf and Sm-Nd ages of 583 plus or minus 86 Ma and 616 plus or minus 67 Ma, respectively. The cosmic-ray exposure ages of Tissint are 1.10 plus or minus 0.15 Ma based on 10Be [4], and 1.0-1.1 Ma, based on 3He, 21Ne, and 38Ar [5,6].We report Ar-Ar ages and Rb-Sr data.

The dominant allele Aft induces a shift from flavonol to anthocyanin production in response to UV-B radiation in tomato fruit.

PubMed

Catola, Stefano; Castagna, Antonella; Santin, Marco; Calvenzani, Valentina; Petroni, Katia; Mazzucato, Andrea; Ranieri, Annamaria

2017-08-01

The introgression of the A ft allele into domesticated tomato induced a shift from flavonol to anthocyanin production in response to UV-B radiation, while the hp - 1 allele negatively influenced the response of flavonoid biosynthesis to UV-B. Introgression of the dominant allele Anthocyanin fruit (Aft) from Solanum chilense induces anthocyanin accumulation in the peel of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) fruit. UV-B radiation can influence plant secondary metabolism regulating the expression of several genes, among which those involved in flavonoid biosynthesis. Here, we investigated whether post-harvest UV-B treatment could up-regulate flavonoid production in tomato fruits and whether the Aft allele could affect flavonoid biosynthesis under UV-B radiation. Mature green fruits of an anthocyanin-rich tomato mutant line (SA206) and of its wild-type reference, cv. Roma, were daily subjected to post-harvest UV-B treatment until full ripening. Up-regulation of CHS and CHI transcription by UV-B treatment induced flavonoid accumulation in the peel of cv. Roma. Conversely, UV-B decreased the total flavonoid content and CHS transcript levels in the SA206 peel. SA206 being a double mutant containing also hp-1 allele, we investigated also the behavior of hp-1 fruit. The decreased peel flavonoid accumulation and gene transcription in response to UV-B suggest that hp-1 allele is involved in the marked down-regulation of the flavonoid biosynthesis observed in SA206 fruit. Interestingly, in SA206, UV-B radiation promoted the synthesis of delphinidin, petunidin, and malvidin by increasing F3'5'H and DFR transcription, but it decreased rutin production, suggesting a switch from flavonols to anthocyanins. Finally, although UV-B radiation does not reach the inner fruit tissues, it down-regulated flavonoid biosynthesis in the flesh of both genotypes. This study provides, for the first time, evidence that the presence of the functional Aft allele, under UV-B radiation, redirects

arXiv.org and Physics Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ramlo, Susan

2007-01-01

The website arXiv.org (pronounced "archive") is a free online resource for full-text articles in the fields of physics, mathematics, computer science, nonlinear science, and quantitative biology that has existed for about 15 years. Available directly at http://www.arXiv.org, this e-print archive is searchable. As of Jan. 3, 2007, arXiv had open…

Characterization of the cod (Gadus morhua) steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR) sheds light on StAR gene structure in fish.

PubMed

Goetz, Frederick W; Norberg, Birgitta; McCauley, Linda A R; Iliev, Dimitar B

2004-03-01

The full-length cDNA for the cod (Gadus morhua) StAR was cloned by RT-PCR and library screening using ovarian RNA. From the library screening, 2 size classes of cDNA were obtained; a 1577 bp cDNA (cStAR1) and a 2851 bp cDNA (cStAR2). The cStAR1 cDNA presumably encodes a protein of 286 amino acids. The cStAR2 cDNA was composed of 6 separated sequences that contained all of the coding regions of cStAR1 when added together, but also contained 5 noncoding regions not observed in cStAR1. Polymerase chain reactions of cod genomic DNA produced products slightly larger than cStAR2. The sequence of these products were the same as cStAR2 but revealed one additional noncoding region (intron). Thus, the fish StAR gene contains the same number of exons (7) and introns (6) as observed in mammals, but is approximately half the size of the mammalian gene. Using Northern analysis and RT-PCR, cStAR1 expression was observed only in testes, ovaries and head kidneys. Polymerase chain reaction products were also observed using cDNA from steroidogenic tissues and primers designed to regions specific for cStAR2, indicating that cStAR2 is expressed in tissues and may account for the presence of larger transcripts observed on Northern blots.

Differential regulation of metabolic pathways by androgen receptor (AR) and its constitutively active splice variant, AR-V7, in prostate cancer cells

PubMed Central

Shafi, Ayesha A.; Putluri, Vasanta; Arnold, James M.; Tsouko, Efrosini; Maity, Suman; Roberts, Justin M.; Coarfa, Cristian; Frigo, Daniel E.; Putluri, Nagireddy; Sreekumar, Arun; Weigel, Nancy L.

2015-01-01

Metastatic prostate cancer (PCa) is primarily an androgen-dependent disease, which is treated with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT). Tumors usually develop resistance (castration-resistant PCa [CRPC]), but remain androgen receptor (AR) dependent. Numerous mechanisms for AR-dependent resistance have been identified including expression of constitutively active AR splice variants lacking the hormone-binding domain. Recent clinical studies show that expression of the best-characterized AR variant, AR-V7, correlates with resistance to ADT and poor outcome. Whether AR-V7 is simply a constitutively active substitute for AR or has novel gene targets that cause unique downstream changes is unresolved. Several studies have shown that AR activation alters cell metabolism. Using LNCaP cells with inducible expression of AR-V7 as a model system, we found that AR-V7 stimulated growth, migration, and glycolysis measured by ECAR (extracellular acidification rate) similar to AR. However, further analyses using metabolomics and metabolic flux assays revealed several differences. Whereas AR increased citrate levels, AR-V7 reduced citrate mirroring metabolic shifts observed in CRPC patients. Flux analyses indicate that the low citrate is a result of enhanced utilization rather than a failure to synthesize citrate. Moreover, flux assays suggested that compared to AR, AR-V7 exhibits increased dependence on glutaminolysis and reductive carboxylation to produce some of the TCA (tricarboxylic acid cycle) metabolites. These findings suggest that these unique actions represent potential therapeutic targets. PMID:26378018

Robust Identification of Local Adaptation from Allele Frequencies

PubMed Central

Günther, Torsten; Coop, Graham

2013-01-01

Comparing allele frequencies among populations that differ in environment has long been a tool for detecting loci involved in local adaptation. However, such analyses are complicated by an imperfect knowledge of population allele frequencies and neutral correlations of allele frequencies among populations due to shared population history and gene flow. Here we develop a set of methods to robustly test for unusual allele frequency patterns and correlations between environmental variables and allele frequencies while accounting for these complications based on a Bayesian model previously implemented in the software Bayenv. Using this model, we calculate a set of “standardized allele frequencies” that allows investigators to apply tests of their choice to multiple populations while accounting for sampling and covariance due to population history. We illustrate this first by showing that these standardized frequencies can be used to detect nonparametric correlations with environmental variables; these correlations are also less prone to spurious results due to outlier populations. We then demonstrate how these standardized allele frequencies can be used to construct a test to detect SNPs that deviate strongly from neutral population structure. This test is conceptually related to FST and is shown to be more powerful, as we account for population history. We also extend the model to next-generation sequencing of population pools—a cost-efficient way to estimate population allele frequencies, but one that introduces an additional level of sampling noise. The utility of these methods is demonstrated in simulations and by reanalyzing human SNP data from the Human Genome Diversity Panel populations and pooled next-generation sequencing data from Atlantic herring. An implementation of our method is available from http://gcbias.org. PMID:23821598

Uneven segregation of sporophytic self-incompatibility alleles in Arabidopsis lyrata.

PubMed

Bechsgaard, J; Bataillon, T; Schierup, M H

2004-05-01

Self-incompatibility in Arabidopsis lyrata is sporophytically controlled by the multi-allelic S-locus. Self-incompatibility alleles (S-alleles) are under strong negative frequency dependent selection because pollen carrying common S-alleles have fewer mating opportunities. Population genetics theory predicts that deleterious alleles can accumulate if linked to the S-locus. This was tested by studying segregation of S-alleles in 11 large full sib families in A. lyrata. Significant segregation distortion leading to an up to fourfold difference in transmission rates was found in six families. Differences in transmission rates were not significantly different in reciprocal crosses and the distortions observed were compatible with selection acting at the gametic stage alone. The S-allele with the largest segregation advantage is also the most recessive, and is very common in natural populations concordant with its apparent segregation advantage. These results imply that frequencies of S-alleles in populations of A. lyrata cannot be predicted based on simple models of frequency-dependent selection alone.

Allelic variants of hereditary prions: The bimodularity principle.

PubMed

Tikhodeyev, Oleg N; Tarasov, Oleg V; Bondarev, Stanislav A

2017-01-02

Modern biology requires modern genetic concepts equally valid for all discovered mechanisms of inheritance, either "canonical" (mediated by DNA sequences) or epigenetic. Applying basic genetic terms such as "gene" and "allele" to protein hereditary factors is one of the necessary steps toward these concepts. The basic idea that different variants of the same prion protein can be considered as alleles has been previously proposed by Chernoff and Tuite. In this paper, the notion of prion allele is further developed. We propose the idea that any prion allele is a bimodular hereditary system that depends on a certain DNA sequence (DNA determinant) and a certain epigenetic mark (epigenetic determinant). Alteration of any of these 2 determinants may lead to establishment of a new prion allele. The bimodularity principle is valid not only for hereditary prions; it seems to be universal for any epigenetic hereditary factor.

Experimental Constraints on He, Ne, Ar Behavior at Mantle Conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jackson, C.; Kelley, S. P.; Parman, S. W.; Cooper, R. F.

2010-12-01

We have experimentally constrained He, Ne and Ar mineral-melt partitioning for olivine, enstatite and spinel under mantle P-T conditions. The experiments were run in a piston cylinder apparatus. Run products were analyzed by UV laser ablation microprobe (UVLAMP). Our data (Ol, Opx, Sp), along with literature data (Cpx), suggest He, Ne and Ar are incompatible during mantle melting. Gem quality crystals of En100, Sp and Fo90 were polished using colloidal silica and loaded along with a MgO rich, synthetic MORB powder into a graphite inner and Pt outer capsule. Within the inner capsule, crystals were faced against graphite, an identical crystal or polished glassy carbon. Equal pressures (40-60 total bars) of He, Ne and Ar were loaded into the outer capsule before it was welded closed. The run conditions were 1450C and 1-2 GPa for 10 hrs (Brown University). Depth profiles of the mineral faces were obtained using a 193 nm excimer laser (Open University). The large crystal area and short wavelength laser allows for measurements with high depth resolution and concentration precision: a 400 um aperture with 150 nm ablation depth can provide a detection limit (3 sigma > blank) of ~500 ppb He, ~1 ppm Ne and ~500 ppb Ar. Three mineral ablation pits were imaged using a white light interferometer at Tufts University and indicate an ablation rate of ~25 nm/pulse. Glass ablation rates are estimated using previous measurements. The melts were generally understaturated with respect to He, Ne and Ar (1-10, 3-200 and 4-1000 PPM, respectively). Concentrations in the minerals were mostly below detection limits. Where detectable, near surface gas concentrations visually correlate with the amount of adhering graphite. This could be due to trapped/adsorbed gas in the graphite or to surface deformation produced by the graphite. The surface with the least adhering graphite and smoothest surface (faced against glassy carbon) shows no observable near surface enrichment of He, Ne or Ar. Given

Measuring 36Ar without H35Cl interference

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saxton, John

2015-04-01

Noble gas measurements are usually made in static mode, when the mass spectrometer sensitivity is inversely proportional to volume: this makes the building of very large instruments to obtain high mass resolution impracticable. A particularly challenging interference has hitherto been H35Cl, which differs in mass from 36Ar by 1 part in 3937. We have developed a method which makes improved use of the available MRP to remove interferences, and used it to obtain HCl-free 36Ar measurements on a multicollector instrument with MRP of only ~6000 (MRP= mass resolving power = m/dm 5-95% on side of peak). By arranging that the target mass position on a minor isotope (e.g. 36Ar), from which the interference must be removed, coincides with the ~50% point on the side of a major isotope (e.g. 40Ar), it is possible both to set the mass accurately and to verify the mass position and stability during measurements. The peak top of 40Ar is measured in a separate mass step. Two small corrections are necessary. One compensates for the residual HCl tail at the 36Ar position. The other arises because the peak is not totally flat in the region of interest: 40Ar and 36Ar+HCl are measured on the peak top, whilst 36Ar is measured at the extreme edge, with slightly lower efficiency. The required correction parameters can be obtained from a series of air calibrations with different target/interference ratios. With samples containing 4x10-15to 3x10-14moles of 40Ar, 36Ar/40Ar was measured, without HCl interference, to a 1σ precision of 0.5%, only slightly worse than counting statistics. This is potentially useful for 40Ar/39Ar dating, where 36Ar is used to correct for trapped air, and may be particularly significant for smaller or younger samples.

Correlation diagrams in 40 Ar/39Ar dating: is there a correct choice?

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dalrymple, G.B.; Lanphere, M.A.; Pringle, M.S.

1988-01-01

Contrary to published assertions, the 2 types of correlation diagrams used in the interpretation of 40Ar/39Ar incremental-heating data yield the same information provided the correct mathematics are used for estimating correlation coefficients and for the least squares fit. The choice is simply between 2 illustrative, graphical displays, neither of which is fundamentally superior to the other. -Authors

Ar-39 - Ar-40 Evidence for an Approximately 4.26 Ga Impact Heating Event on the LL Parent Body

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dixon, E. T.; Bogard, D. D.; Rubin, A. E.

2003-01-01

Miller Range 99301 is a type 6, unbrecciated LL chondrite. MIL 99301 is of interest because some compositional and petrographic features suggest it experienced rather high shock grades, whereas other features suggest it is relatively unshocked. Inconsistent shock indicators could be explained if MIL 99301 was shocked but then partly annealed by heat produced by impacts on the parent body. The hypothesis that MIL 99301 experienced high temperature metamorphism (type 6) followed by a later shock event that heated, but did not melt, the constituent feldspar can be evaluated using (39)Ar-(40)Ar chronology. This is because (39)Ar-(40)Ar ages of shocked ordinary chondrites are generally <4.2 Ga, whereas (39)Ar-(40)Ar ages of unshocked meteorites are generally older, and between 4.52 - 4.38 Ga.

Xe-129 - Xe-128 and Ar-40 - Ar-39 chronology of two Antarctic enstatite meteorites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Honda, M.; Bernatowicz, T. J.; Podosek, F. A.

1983-01-01

Xe-129 - Xe-128 and Ar-40 - Ar-39 analyses has been performed on two Antarctic enstatite meteorites, the chondrite Y-691 and the aubrite (enstatite achondrite) ALH-78113. Both meteorites have complex Ar-40 - Ar-39 release patterns to which no unambiguous age assignment is possible. Both give apparently satisfactory Xe-129 - Xe-128 correlations corresponding to unusual ages. The I-Xe age of the chondrite Y-691 is 16 Ma after Bjurbole, not unusual for chondrites in general but 10 Ma later than previously known ages for enstatite chondrites. The I-Xe age of the aubrite ALH-78113 is 210 Ma after Bjurbole, the latest age (rather than a limit) so far observed by the I-Xe technique, but this age assignment must be considered tentative because of the possibility that it is significantly influenced by terrestrial I contamination.

India Allele Finder: a web-based annotation tool for identifying common alleles in next-generation sequencing data of Indian origin.

PubMed

Zhang, Jimmy F; James, Francis; Shukla, Anju; Girisha, Katta M; Paciorkowski, Alex R

2017-06-27

We built India Allele Finder, an online searchable database and command line tool, that gives researchers access to variant frequencies of Indian Telugu individuals, using publicly available fastq data from the 1000 Genomes Project. Access to appropriate population-based genomic variant annotation can accelerate the interpretation of genomic sequencing data. In particular, exome analysis of individuals of Indian descent will identify population variants not reflected in European exomes, complicating genomic analysis for such individuals. India Allele Finder offers improved ease-of-use to investigators seeking to identify and annotate sequencing data from Indian populations. We describe the use of India Allele Finder to identify common population variants in a disease quartet whole exome dataset, reducing the number of candidate single nucleotide variants from 84 to 7. India Allele Finder is freely available to investigators to annotate genomic sequencing data from Indian populations. Use of India Allele Finder allows efficient identification of population variants in genomic sequencing data, and is an example of a population-specific annotation tool that simplifies analysis and encourages international collaboration in genomics research.

Recalibration of the Palaeocene-Eocene boundary (P-E) using high precision U-Pb and Ar-Ar isotopic dating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chambers, L.; Pringle, M.; Fitton, G.; Larsen, L. M.; Pedersen, A. K.; Parrish, R.

2003-04-01

In the current time scales (Cande and Kent, 95; Berggren et al, 95) the P-E Boundary is positioned at 55 Ma based primarily on the age of the -17 ash layer in Denmark. In the absence of a global stratigraphic section and point the boundary is an interval of 1 m.y. from 55.5 to 54.5 Ma that includes all of the different means of calibrating the boundary tie point, including the NP9/NP10 calcareous nannofossil zonal boundary, the planktonic foraminiferal P5/P6a zonal boundary, preliminary ages for the -17 and +19 ash layers (unpub.), the base of the London Clay Formation, and the δ13C spike. Here we present new Ar-Ar ages for the -17 and +19 ash layers in Denmark and combine this study with a calibration of the Ar-Ar with the U-Pb method. As Ar-Ar ages are relative to the known age of a standard or monitor, U-Pb ages on zircons from the same rocks from the British Tertiary Igneous Province provide an absolute age calibration for all of our Ar-Ar ages (including the monitors). An additional complication arises because the time scale is currently being revised (J. Ogg, Pers. Comm.). In the new time scale the P-E boundary will stay at 55 Ma and the K-T boundary will move by 0.5 m.y. to 65.5 Ma. Our results have a direct impact on the positioning of the P-E Boundary relative to the K-T boundary as definitive K-T tektite is used as one of our Ar-Ar standards. Ar-Ar ages and U-Pb ages for the same sample from the BTIP are indistinguishable when the ages used for the Ar-Ar monitor minerals are those recommended in Renne et al (98). This means that the K-T tektite is 65.78 ± 0.03 Ma, the -17 ash is 54.52 ± 0.05Ma, and the +19 ash is 54.04 ± 0.14 Ma. If the P-E boundary is taken to be between the -17 and +19 ash layers, as in DSDP Hole 550 (the ashes bracket the planktonic foraminiferal P5/P6a zonal boundary) then the current position at 55 Ma is too old. We therefore suggest that if the K-T boundary moves to 65.5 Ma, then the P-E boundary should not stay at 55 Ma, but

Allelic Expression of Deleterious Protein-Coding Variants across Human Tissues

PubMed Central

Kukurba, Kimberly R.; Zhang, Rui; Li, Xin; Smith, Kevin S.; Knowles, David A.; How Tan, Meng; Piskol, Robert; Lek, Monkol; Snyder, Michael; MacArthur, Daniel G.; Li, Jin Billy; Montgomery, Stephen B.

2014-01-01

Personal exome and genome sequencing provides access to loss-of-function and rare deleterious alleles whose interpretation is expected to provide insight into individual disease burden. However, for each allele, accurate interpretation of its effect will depend on both its penetrance and the trait's expressivity. In this regard, an important factor that can modify the effect of a pathogenic coding allele is its level of expression; a factor which itself characteristically changes across tissues. To better inform the degree to which pathogenic alleles can be modified by expression level across multiple tissues, we have conducted exome, RNA and deep, targeted allele-specific expression (ASE) sequencing in ten tissues obtained from a single individual. By combining such data, we report the impact of rare and common loss-of-function variants on allelic expression exposing stronger allelic bias for rare stop-gain variants and informing the extent to which rare deleterious coding alleles are consistently expressed across tissues. This study demonstrates the potential importance of transcriptome data to the interpretation of pathogenic protein-coding variants. PMID:24786518

Cosmic Ray Exposure Ages, Ar-Ar Ages, and the Origin and History of Eucrites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wakefield, Kelli; Bogard, Donald; Garrison, Daniel

2004-01-01

HED meteorites likely formed at different depths on the large asteroid 4-Vesta, but passed through Vesta-derived, km-sized intermediary bodies (Vestoids), before arriving at Earth. Most eucrites and diogenites (and all howardites) are brecciated, and impact heating disturbed or reset the K-Ar ages (and some Rb-Sr ages) of most eucrites in the time period of approx. 3.4 - 4.1 Gyr ago. Some basaltic eucrites and most cumulate eucrites, however, are not brecciated. We recently showed that the Ar-39 - Ar-40 ages for several of these eucrites tightly cluster about a value of 4.48 +/- 0.02 Gyr, and we argue that this time likely represents a single large impact event on Vesta, which ejected these objects from depth and quenched their temperatures. A different parent body has been suggested for cumulate eucrites, although the Ar-Ar ages argue for a common parent. Similarities in the cosmic-ray (space) exposure ages for basaltic eucrites and diogenites also have been used to infer a common parent body for some HEDs. Here we present CRE ages of several cumulate and unbrecciated basaltic (UB) eucrites and compare these with CRE ages of other HEDs. This comparison also has some interesting implications for the relative locations of various HED types on Vesta and/or the Vestoids.

Characterization of the treefrog null allele, 1991

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Guttman, S.I.

1992-04-01

Spring peeper (Hyla crucifer) tadpoles collected from the waste storage area during the Biological and Ecological Site Characterization of the Feed Materials Production Center (FEMP) in 1986 and 1987 appeared to be unique. A null (inactive) allele was found at the glucose phosphate isomerase enzyme locus in significant frequencies (approximately 20%) each year; this allele did not appear to occur in the offsite sample collected approximately 15km from the FEMP. Null alleles at this locus have not been reported in other amphibian populations; when they have been found in other organisms they have invariably been lethal in the homozygous condition.

A new approach to cosmogenic corrections in 40Ar/ 39Ar chronometry: Implications for the ages of Martian meteorites

DOE PAGES

Cassata, W. S.; Borg, L. E.

2016-05-04

Anomalously old 40Ar/ 39Ar ages are commonly obtained from Shergottites and are generally attributed to uncertainties regarding the isotopic composition of the trapped component and/or the presence of excess 40Ar. Old ages can also be obtained if inaccurate corrections for cosmogenic 36Ar are applied. Current methods for making the cosmogenic correction require simplifying assumptions regarding the spatial homogeneity of target elements for cosmogenic production and the distribution of cosmogenic nuclides relative to trapped and reactor-derived Ar isotopes. To mitigate uncertainties arising from these assumptions, a new cosmogenic correction approach utilizing the exposure age determined on an un-irradiated aliquot and step-wisemore » production rate estimates that account for spatial variations in Ca and K is described. Data obtained from NWA 4468 and an unofficial pairing of NWA 2975, which yield anomalously old ages when corrected for cosmogenic 36Ar using conventional techniques, are used to illustrate the efficacy of this new approach. For these samples, anomalous age determinations are rectified solely by the improved cosmogenic correction technique described herein. Ages of 188 ± 17 and 184 ± 17 Ma are obtained for NWA 4468 and NWA 2975, respectively, both of which are indistinguishable from ages obtained by other radioisotopic systems. For other Shergottites that have multiple trapped components, have experienced diffusive loss of Ar, or contain excess Ar, more accurate cosmogenic corrections may aid in the interpretation of anomalous ages. In conclusion, the trapped 40Ar/ 36Ar ratios inferred from inverse isochron diagrams obtained from NWA 4468 and NWA 2975 are significantly lower than the Martian atmospheric value, and may represent upper mantle or crustal components.« less

An assessment of Wx microsatellite allele, alkali degradation and differentiation of chloroplast DNA in traditional black rice (Oryza sativa L.) from Thailand and Lao PDR.

PubMed

Prathepha, Preecha

2007-01-15

Thailand and Lao PDR are the country's rich rice diversity. To contribute a significant knowledge for development new rice varieties, a collection of 142 black rice (Oryza sativa) accessions were determined for variation of physico-chemical properties, Wx microsatellite allele, Wx allele and chloroplast DNA type. The results showed that amylose content of black rice accessions were ranged from 1.9 to 6.8%. All of the alkali disintegration types (high, intermediate and low) was observed in these rice with average of 1.75 on the 1-3 digestibility scale. The unique Wx microsatellite allele (CT)17 was found in these samples and all black rice strains carried Wx(b) allele. In addition, all black rice accessions were found the duplication of the 23 bp sequence motif in the exon 2 of the wx gene. This evidence is a common phenomenon in glutinous rice. Based on two growing condition for black rice, rainfed lowland and rainfed upland, chloroplast DNA type was distinct from each other. All rice strains from rainfed lowland was deletion plastotype, but all other rainfed upland strains were non-deletion types.

Apolipoprotein E alleles in Alzheimer`s and Parkinson`s patients

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Poduslo, S.E.; Schwankhaus, J.D.

1994-09-01

A number of investigators have found an association between the apolipoprotein E4 allele and Alzheimer`s disease. The E4 allele appears at a higher frequency in late onset familial Alzheimer`s patients. In our studies we obtained blood samples from early and late onset familial and sporadic Alzheimer`s patients and spouses, as well as from Parkinson`s patients. The patients were diagnosed as probable Alzheimer`s patients after a neurological examination, extensive blood work, and a CAT scan. The diagnosis was made according to the NINCDS-ADRDA criteria. The apolipoprotein E4 polymorphism was detected after PCR amplification of genomic DNA, restriction enzyme digestion with Hhal,more » and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Ethidium bromide-stained bands at 91 bp were designated as allele 3, at 83 bp as allele 2, and at 72 bp as allele 4. Of the 84 probable Alzheimer`s patients (all of whom were Caucasian), 47 were heterozygous and 13 were homozygous for the E4 allele. There were 26 early onset patients; 13 were heterozygous and 7 homozygous for the E4 allele. The frequencies for the E4 allele for late onset familial patients was 0.45 and for sporadic patients was 0.37. We analyzed 77 spouses with an average age of 71.9 {plus_minus} 7.4 years as controls, and 15 were heterozygous for the E4 allele for an E4 frequency of 0.097. Of the 53 Parkinson`s patients, 11 had the E4 allele for a frequency of 0.113. Thus our findings support the association of the ApoE4 allele with Alzheimer`s disease.« less

ARS turns fifteen: la quinceañera bonita.

PubMed

Sen, Chandan K

2013-01-01

ARS was aimed at advancing the erstwhile niche field of redox biology to a more central position in research. Currently, ARS ranks first (impact factor: 8.456) in the field of redox biology. Of 8336 journals listed in Journal Citation Reports, ARS ranks 205th. The next journal in redox biology ranks 449th. ARS ranks 169th of 8336 in immediacy index. The next journal in redox biology ranks 923rd. Thus, ARS is the primary source of hot papers in redox sciences and healthcare. To grow footprint and overall impact, ARS has nearly doubled the annual publication volume from roughly 200 to 400 in one year. Because the manuscript volume represents the denominator of the impact factor calculation, such a sharp increase in volume would be predicted to a proportionally lower impact factor. Because of the robust current upward momentum, ARS will be affected less than that predicted by simple arithmetic and will maintain its top position even after such aggressive volume expansion. As another year passes, the additional manuscripts will get more time to be cited, and therefore the impact factor is expected to bounce back resulting in a much stronger journal with a substantially enhanced overall presence. ARS currently publishes 36 issues annually as two series: ARS-Discoveries, and ARS-Therapeutics. Redox biology does have the potential of major health impact. ARS-Therapeutics is the first and only forum dedicated to highlight that strength. I am grateful to the global redox village for their unreserved support to raise ARS and this fascinating field of redox research and healthcare. Antioxid. Redox Signal. 18, 1-4.

40Ar/ 39Ar dating of micas from granites of NE Kibaran Belt (Karagwe-Ankolean), NW Tanzania

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ikingura, J. R.; Reynolds, P. H.; Watkinson, D. H.; Bell, K.

1992-11-01

40Ar/ 39Ar total gas ages of muscovites and biotites from granites associated with NE Kibaran belt (Karagwe-Ankolean) in NW Tanzanian are in the range of about 945-700 Ma, much less than the estimated age of the granites. Age gradients in the muscovite spectra are indicative of partial gas loss as a result of thermal overprinting. Evidence for at least two tectonothermal events, at ca. 950 Ma and ca. 700 Ma, is noted. The older of these correlates with the formation of tin-bearing pegmatites and hydrothermal veins in the Kibaran belt; the younger with vein emplacements in the Burundian and/or a deformational episode. Correlation of 40Ar/ 39Ar age data with K-Ar and Rb-Sr data from other parts of the Kibaran belt in Burundi, Rwanda and Zaire indicates that the NE Kibaran belt, east of the Western Rift, experienced a tectonothermal history similar to that of the western part of the during the late-Proterozoic.

Erasure and reestablishment of random allelic expression imbalance after epigenetic reprogramming

PubMed Central

Jeffries, Aaron Richard; Uwanogho, Dafe Aghogho; Cocks, Graham; Perfect, Leo William; Dempster, Emma; Mill, Jonathan; Price, Jack

2016-01-01

Clonal level random allelic expression imbalance and random monoallelic expression provides cellular heterogeneity within tissues by modulating allelic dosage. Although such expression patterns have been observed in multiple cell types, little is known about when in development these stochastic allelic choices are made. We examine allelic expression patterns in human neural progenitor cells before and after epigenetic reprogramming to induced pluripotency, observing that loci previously characterized by random allelic expression imbalance (0.63% of expressed genes) are generally reset to a biallelic state in induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). We subsequently neuralized the iPSCs and profiled isolated clonal neural stem cells, observing that significant random allelic expression imbalance is reestablished at 0.65% of expressed genes, including novel loci not found to show allelic expression imbalance in the original parental neural progenitor cells. Allelic expression imbalance was associated with altered DNA methylation across promoter regulatory regions, with clones characterized by skewed allelic expression being hypermethylated compared to their biallelic sister clones. Our results suggest that random allelic expression imbalance is established during lineage commitment and is associated with increased DNA methylation at the gene promoter. PMID:27539784

Multimer Formation Explains Allelic Suppression of PRDM9 Recombination Hotspots.

PubMed

Baker, Christopher L; Petkova, Pavlina; Walker, Michael; Flachs, Petr; Mihola, Ondrej; Trachtulec, Zdenek; Petkov, Petko M; Paigen, Kenneth

2015-09-01

Genetic recombination during meiosis functions to increase genetic diversity, promotes elimination of deleterious alleles, and helps assure proper segregation of chromatids. Mammalian recombination events are concentrated at specialized sites, termed hotspots, whose locations are determined by PRDM9, a zinc finger DNA-binding histone methyltransferase. Prdm9 is highly polymorphic with most alleles activating their own set of hotspots. In populations exhibiting high frequencies of heterozygosity, questions remain about the influences different alleles have in heterozygous individuals where the two variant forms of PRDM9 typically do not activate equivalent populations of hotspots. We now find that, in addition to activating its own hotspots, the presence of one Prdm9 allele can modify the activity of hotspots activated by the other allele. PRDM9 function is also dosage sensitive; Prdm9+/- heterozygous null mice have reduced numbers and less active hotspots and increased numbers of aberrant germ cells. In mice carrying two Prdm9 alleles, there is allelic competition; the stronger Prdm9 allele can partially or entirely suppress chromatin modification and recombination at hotspots of the weaker allele. In cell cultures, PRDM9 protein variants form functional heteromeric complexes which can bind hotspots sequences. When a heteromeric complex binds at a hotspot of one PRDM9 variant, the other PRDM9 variant, which would otherwise not bind, can still methylate hotspot nucleosomes. We propose that in heterozygous individuals the underlying molecular mechanism of allelic suppression results from formation of PRDM9 heteromers, where the DNA binding activity of one protein variant dominantly directs recombination initiation towards its own hotspots, effectively titrating down recombination by the other protein variant. In natural populations with many heterozygous individuals, allelic competition will influence the recombination landscape.

Multimer Formation Explains Allelic Suppression of PRDM9 Recombination Hotspots

PubMed Central

Baker, Christopher L.; Petkova, Pavlina; Walker, Michael; Flachs, Petr; Mihola, Ondrej; Trachtulec, Zdenek; Petkov, Petko M.; Paigen, Kenneth

2015-01-01

Genetic recombination during meiosis functions to increase genetic diversity, promotes elimination of deleterious alleles, and helps assure proper segregation of chromatids. Mammalian recombination events are concentrated at specialized sites, termed hotspots, whose locations are determined by PRDM9, a zinc finger DNA-binding histone methyltransferase. Prdm9 is highly polymorphic with most alleles activating their own set of hotspots. In populations exhibiting high frequencies of heterozygosity, questions remain about the influences different alleles have in heterozygous individuals where the two variant forms of PRDM9 typically do not activate equivalent populations of hotspots. We now find that, in addition to activating its own hotspots, the presence of one Prdm9 allele can modify the activity of hotspots activated by the other allele. PRDM9 function is also dosage sensitive; Prdm9 +/- heterozygous null mice have reduced numbers and less active hotspots and increased numbers of aberrant germ cells. In mice carrying two Prdm9 alleles, there is allelic competition; the stronger Prdm9 allele can partially or entirely suppress chromatin modification and recombination at hotspots of the weaker allele. In cell cultures, PRDM9 protein variants form functional heteromeric complexes which can bind hotspots sequences. When a heteromeric complex binds at a hotspot of one PRDM9 variant, the other PRDM9 variant, which would otherwise not bind, can still methylate hotspot nucleosomes. We propose that in heterozygous individuals the underlying molecular mechanism of allelic suppression results from formation of PRDM9 heteromers, where the DNA binding activity of one protein variant dominantly directs recombination initiation towards its own hotspots, effectively titrating down recombination by the other protein variant. In natural populations with many heterozygous individuals, allelic competition will influence the recombination landscape. PMID:26368021

The ArDM experiment

DOE PAGES

Harańczyk, M.; Amsler, C.; Badertscher, A.; ...

2010-08-24

The aim of the ArDM project is the development and operation of a one ton double-phase liquid argon detector for direct Dark Matter searches. The detector measures both the scintillation light and the ionization charge from ionizing radiation using two independent readout systems. This paper briefly describes the detector concept and presents preliminary results from the ArDM R & D program, including a 3 l prototype developed to test the charge readout system.

Androgen receptor (AR) cistrome in prostate differentiation and cancer progression.

PubMed

Wang, Fengtian; Koul, Hari K

2017-01-01

Despite the progress in development of better AR-targeted therapies for prostate cancer (PCa), there is no curative therapy for castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). Therapeutic resistance in PCa can be characterized in two broad categories of AR therapy resistance: the first and most prevalent one involves restoration of AR activity despite AR targeted therapy, and the second one involves tumor progression despite blockade of AR activity. As such AR remains the most attractive drug target for CRPC. Despite its oncogenic role, AR signaling also contributes to the maturation and differentiation of prostate luminal cells during development. Recent evidence suggests that AR cistrome is altered in advanced PCa. Alteration in AR may result from AR amplification, alternative splicing, mutations, post-translational modification of AR, and altered expression of AR co-factors. We reasoned that such alterations would result in the transcription of disparate AR target genes and as such may contribute to the emergence of castration-resistance. In the present study, we evaluated the expression of genes associated with canonical or non-canonical AR cistrome in relationship with PCa progression and prostate development by analyzing publicly available datasets. We discovered a transcription switch from canonical AR cistrome target genes to the non-canonical AR cistrome target genes during PCa progression. Using Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA), we discovered that canonical AR cistrome target genes are enriched in indolent PCa patients and the loss of canonical AR cistrome is associated with tumor metastasis and poor clinical outcome. Analysis of the datasets involving prostate development, revealed that canonical AR cistrome target genes are significantly enriched in prostate luminal cells and can distinguish luminal cells from basal cells, suggesting a pivotal role for canonical AR cistrome driven genes in prostate development. These data suggest that the expression of

The potential of AR-V7 as a therapeutic target.

PubMed

Uo, Takuma; Plymate, Stephen R; Sprenger, Cynthia C

2018-03-01

The androgen receptor variant AR-V7 is gaining attention as a potential predictive marker for as well as one of the resistance mechanisms to the most current anti-androgen receptor (AR) therapies in castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). Accordingly, development of next-generation drugs that directly or indirectly target AR-V7 signaling is urgently needed. Areas covered: We review proposed mechanisms of drug resistance in relation to AR-V7 status, the mechanisms of generation of AR-V7, and its transcriptome, cistrome, and interactome. Pharmacological agents that interfere with these processes are being developed to counteract pan AR and AR-V7-specific signaling. Also, we address the current status of the preclinical and clinical studies targeting AR-V7 signaling. Expert opinion: AR-V7 is considered a true therapeutic target, however, it remains to be determined if AR-V7 is a principal driver or merely a bystander requiring heterodimerization with co-expressed full-length AR or other variants to drive CRPC progression. While untangling AR-V7 biology, multiple strategies are being developed to counteract drug resistance, including selective blockade of AR-V7 signaling as well as inhibition of pan-AR signaling. Ideally anti-AR therapies will be combined with agents preventing activation and enrichment of AR negative tumor cells that are otherwise depressed by AR activity axis.

SSR allelic variation in almond (Prunus dulcis Mill.).

PubMed

Xie, Hua; Sui, Yi; Chang, Feng-Qi; Xu, Yong; Ma, Rong-Cai

2006-01-01

Sixteen SSR markers including eight EST-SSR and eight genomic SSRs were used for genetic diversity analysis of 23 Chinese and 15 international almond cultivars. EST- and genomic SSR markers previously reported in species of Prunus, mainly peach, proved to be useful for almond genetic analysis. DNA sequences of 117 alleles of six of the 16 SSR loci were analysed to reveal sequence variation among the 38 almond accessions. For the four SSR loci with AG/CT repeats, no insertions or deletions were observed in the flanking regions of the 98 alleles sequenced. Allelic size variation of these loci resulted exclusively from differences in the structures of repeat motifs, which involved interruptions or occurrences of new motif repeats in addition to varying number of AG/CT repeats. Some alleles had a high number of uninterrupted repeat motifs, indicating that SSR mutational patterns differ among alleles at a given SSR locus within the almond species. Allelic homoplasy was observed in the SSR loci because of base substitutions, interruptions or compound repeat motifs. Substitutions in the repeat regions were found at two SSR loci, suggesting that point mutations operate on SSRs and hinder the further SSR expansion by introducing repeat interruptions to stabilize SSR loci. Furthermore, it was shown that some potential point mutations in the flanking regions are linked with new SSR repeat motif variation in almond and peach.

Ar-40/Ar-39 and U-Th-Pb dating of separated clasts from the Abee E4 chondrite

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bogard, D. D.; Unruh, D. M.; Tatsumoto, M.

1983-01-01

Ar-40/Ar-39 and U-Th-Pb are investigated for three clasts from the Abee (E4) enstatite chondrite, yielding Ar-40/Ar-39 plateau ages (and/or maximum ages) of 4.5 Gy, while two of the clasts give average ages of 4.4 Gy. The 4.4-4.5 Gy range does not resolve possible age differences among the clasts. The U-Th-Pb data are consistent with the interpretation that initial clast formation occurred 4.58 Gy ago, and that the clasts have since remained closed systems which have been contaminated with terrestrial Pb. The thermal history of Abee deduced from Ar data seems consistent with that deduced from magnetic data, suggesting that various Abee components experienced separate histories until brecciation no later than 4.4 Gy ago, experiencing no significant subsequent heating.

Noble-gas-rich separates from ordinary chondrites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moniot, R. K.

1980-02-01

Acid-resistant residues were prepared by HCl-HF demineralization of three H-type ordinary chondrites: Brownfield 1937 (H3), Dimmitt (H3, 4), and Estacado (H6). These residues were found to contain a large proportion of the planetary-type trapped Ar, Kr, and Xe in the meteorites. The similarity of these acid residues to those from carbonaceous chondrites and LL-type ordinary chondrites suggests that the same phase carries the trapped noble gases in all these diverse meteorite types. Because the H group represents a large fraction of all meteorites, this result indicates that the gas-rich carrier phase is as universal as the trapped noble-gas component itself. When treated with an oxidizing etchant, the acid residues lost almost all their complement of noble gases.

An Approximately 4.35 Ga Ar-Ar Age for GRA 8 and the Complex Chronology of its Parent Body

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Park, J.; Nyquist, Laurence E.; Bogard, D. D.; Garrison, D. H.; Shih, C.-Y.; Reese, Y. D.

2010-01-01

GRA06128 and GRA06129 (hereafter GRA 8 and GRA 9) are partial melts of a parent body of approximately chondritic composition. We reported a conventional Sm-147-Nd-143 isochron age of 4.559+/-0.096 Ga and a 146 Sm-142Nd model age of 4.549+/-0.036 for combined data for the two rocks. Plagioclase plus whole rock and leachate (approx.phosphate) samples gave a secondary Sm-147-Nd-143 age of 3.4+/-0.4 Ga. An Ar-39-Ar-40 age of 4.460+/-0.028 Ga was interpreted as dating metamorphism in GRA 9. We report Ar-39-Ar-40 ages in the range approx.4344-4366 Ma for GRA 8, establishing similar but different Ar-39-Ar-40 ages for the two rocks, consistent with their different Sr-isotopic systematics, and discuss these ages in the context of the complex sequence of events that affected these samples.

An Approximately 4.35 Ga Ar-Ar Age for GRA 8 and the Complex Chronology of its Parent Body

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Park, J.; Nyquist, L. E.; Bogard, D. D.; Garrison, D. H.; Shih, C.-Y.; Reese, Y. D.

2010-01-01

GRA06128 and GRA06129 (hereafter GRA 8 and GRA 9) are partial melts of a parent body of approximately chondritic composition. We reported a conventional SM-147Sm-ND_143 isochron age of 4.559 +/-.096 Ga and a SM-146-142Nd model age of 4.549 +/- 0.036 for combined data for the two rocks. Plagioclase plus whole rock and leachate (approximately phosphate) samples gave a secondary SM-147-ND-143 age of 3.4 +/-0.4 Ga. An Ar-39-Ar-40 age of 4.460+/-0.028 Ga was interpreted by as dating metamorphism in GRA 9. We report Ar-39-Ar-40 ages in the range approximately 4344-4366 Ma for GRA 8, establishing similar but different Ar-39-Ar-40 ages for the two rocks, consistent with their different Sr-istopic systematics, and discuss these ages in the context of the complex sequence of events that affected these samples

Mutant maize variety containing the glt1-1 allele

DOEpatents

Nelson, O.E.; Pan, D.

1994-07-19

A maize plant has in its genome a non-mutable form of a mutant allele designated vitX-8132. The allele is located at a locus designated as glt which conditions kernels having an altered starch characteristic. Maize plants including such a mutant allele produce a starch that does not increase in viscosity on cooling, after heating. 2 figs.

Mutant maize variety containing the glt1-1 allele

DOEpatents

Nelson, Oliver E.; Pan, David

1994-01-01

A maize plant has in its genome a non-mutable form of a mutant allele designated vitX-8132. The allele is located at a locus designated as glt which conditions kernels having an altered starch characteristic. Maize plants including such a mutant allele produce a starch that does not increase in viscosity on cooling, after heating.

Reduced Height (Rht) Alleles Affect Wheat Grain Quality.

PubMed

Casebow, Richard; Hadley, Caroline; Uppal, Rajneet; Addisu, Molla; Loddo, Stefano; Kowalski, Ania; Griffiths, Simon; Gooding, Mike

2016-01-01

The effects of dwarfing alleles (reduced height, Rht) in near isogenic lines on wheat grain quality are characterised in field experiments and related to effects on crop height, grain yield and GA-sensitivity. Alleles included those that conferred GA-insensitivity (Rht-B1b, Rht-B1c, Rht-D1b, Rht-D1c) as well as those that retained GA-sensitivity (rht(tall), Rht8, Rht8 + Ppd-D1a, Rht12). Full characterisation was facilitated by including factors with which the effects of Rht alleles are known to interact for grain yield (i.e. system, [conventional or organic]; tillage intensity [plough-based, minimum or zero]; nitrogen fertilizer level [0-450 kg N/ha]; and genetic backgrounds varying in height [cvs Maris Huntsman, Maris Widgeon, and Mercia]. Allele effects on mean grain weight and grain specific weight were positively associated with final crop height: dwarfing reduced these quality criteria irrespective of crop management or GA-sensitivity. In all but two experiments the effects of dwarfing alleles on grain nitrogen and sulphur concentrations were closely and negatively related to effects on grain yield, e.g. a quadratic relationship between grain yield and crop height manipulated by the GA-insensitive alleles was mirrored by quadratic relationships for nitrogen and sulphur concentrations: the highest yields and most dilute concentrations occurred around 80cm. In one of the two exceptional experiments the GA-insensitive Rht-B1b and Rht-B1c significantly (P<0.05) reduced grain nitrogen concentration in the absence of an effect on yield, and in the remaining experiment the GA-sensitive Rht8 significantly reduced both grain yield and grain nitrogen concentration simultaneously. When Rht alleles diluted grain nitrogen concentration, N:S ratios and SDS-sedimentation volumes were often improved. Hagberg falling number (HFN) was negatively related to crop height but benefits from dwarfing were only seen for GA-insensitive alleles. For HFN, therefore, there was the

Erasure and reestablishment of random allelic expression imbalance after epigenetic reprogramming.

PubMed

Jeffries, Aaron Richard; Uwanogho, Dafe Aghogho; Cocks, Graham; Perfect, Leo William; Dempster, Emma; Mill, Jonathan; Price, Jack

2016-10-01

Clonal level random allelic expression imbalance and random monoallelic expression provides cellular heterogeneity within tissues by modulating allelic dosage. Although such expression patterns have been observed in multiple cell types, little is known about when in development these stochastic allelic choices are made. We examine allelic expression patterns in human neural progenitor cells before and after epigenetic reprogramming to induced pluripotency, observing that loci previously characterized by random allelic expression imbalance (0.63% of expressed genes) are generally reset to a biallelic state in induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). We subsequently neuralized the iPSCs and profiled isolated clonal neural stem cells, observing that significant random allelic expression imbalance is reestablished at 0.65% of expressed genes, including novel loci not found to show allelic expression imbalance in the original parental neural progenitor cells. Allelic expression imbalance was associated with altered DNA methylation across promoter regulatory regions, with clones characterized by skewed allelic expression being hypermethylated compared to their biallelic sister clones. Our results suggest that random allelic expression imbalance is established during lineage commitment and is associated with increased DNA methylation at the gene promoter. © 2016 Jeffries et al.; Published by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press for the RNA Society.

Maize ARGOS1 (ZAR1) transgenic alleles increase hybrid maize yield

PubMed Central

Guo, Mei

2014-01-01

Crop improvement for yield and drought tolerance is challenging due to the complex genetic nature of these traits and environmental dependencies. This study reports that transgenic over-expression of Zea mays ARGOS1 (ZAR1) enhanced maize organ growth, grain yield, and drought-stress tolerance. The ZAR1 transgene exhibited environmental interactions, with yield increase under Temperate Dry and yield reduction under Temperate Humid or High Latitude environments. Native ZAR1 allele variation associated with drought-stress tolerance. Two founder alleles identified in the mid-maturity germplasm of North America now predominate in Pioneer’s modern breeding programme, and have distinct proteins, promoters and expression patterns. These two major alleles show heterotic group partitioning, with one predominant in Pioneer’s female and the other in the male heterotic groups, respectively. These two alleles also associate with favourable crop performance when heterozygous. Allele-specific transgene testing showed that, of the two alleles discussed here, each allele differed in their impact on yield and environmental interactions. Moreover, when transgenically stacked together the allelic pair showed yield and environmental performance advantages over either single allele, resembling heterosis effects. This work demonstrates differences in transgenic efficacy of native alleles and the differences reflect their association with hybrid breeding performance. PMID:24218327

AR Sco observing campaign

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Waagen, Elizabeth O.

2016-08-01

Dr. Thomas Marsh (University of Warwick) and colleagues have requested AAVSO coverage of the intriguing binary AR Sco in support of upcoming Newton-XMM observations scheduled for 2016 September 10 15:41 - September 11 02:26 UT. This fascinating binary system is the subject of an exciting paper in the July 2016 issue of Nature (Marsh et al., 2016Natur.537..374M; pre-print version at arXiv (http://arxiv.org/abs/1607.08265). Marsh writes of their research on AR Sco: "...it was down to [the amateurs [who are co-authors] on the paper that we got onto it in the first place. Coverage immediately before, after and (especially) during [the XMM observations] would be great. The most challenging aspect is the time resolution: ideally one wants a cadence < 29 seconds because of the strong harmonic of the basic 2 minute period, and the faster the better. Observers should use whatever filter (including clear/white light) is needed to allow them to match this constraint. Accurate timing is also essential - the centres of the exposures need to be known to better than ± 2 seconds, and preferably better." A page of materials on AR Sco related to the Nature paper may be found at http://deneb.astro.warwick.ac.uk/phsaap/arsco-info/ . Item #9 on that page is a YouTube video of a fascinating movie Dr. Marsh made of AR Sco from their data (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJGAv2jCF4s&feature=youtu.be). Finder charts with sequence may be created using the AAVSO Variable Star Plotter (https://www.aavso.org/vsp). Observations should be submitted to the AAVSO International Database. See full Alert Notice for more details.

Ar/Ar age data of muscovite from the Keivy Terrane (central Kola Peninsula, arctic European Russia) imply a prolonged fluid-assisted recrystallisation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Jong, K.; Ruffet, G.; Marker, M.

2012-04-01

Single grain muscovite 40Ar/39Ar age data from metasediments of the Keivy Terrane point to a prolonged recrystallisation, and imply that the younger age set in metamorphic terranes with a long history cannot always be simply interpreted as due to late and slow cooling. The Keivy terrane is an element of the Palaeoproterozoic Lapland-Kola collisional belt developed along the northern margin of the Fennoscandian (Baltic) Shield. It comprises a lower series of late Archaean meta-volcanic rocks, intruded by earliest Palaeoproterozoic alkali granites that are covered by strongly deformed quartz-rich kyanite-staurolite-garnet-micaschists of the Keivy unit that have yielded magmatic zircons as young as ~2.35 Ga, which were derived from the substratum's alkaline granite. 40Ar/39Ar step-heating dating with a defocussed laser beam of muscovite grains from seven metasediments of the Keivy unit yielded saddle-shaped age spectra in most experiments. In five out of seven cases the base of the saddle corresponded to a plateau age in the range of 1667 to 1593 Ma (60-90% of the gas release; 1 sigma errors: 1.0-1.2 Ma). We do not simply interpret these 40Ar/39Ar ages in the classical way as due to cooling, because the saddle shape of the spectra enables a more complete and detailed interpretation. Saddle-shaped age spectra may result from the presence of different argon reservoirs in partially recrystallised and chemically distinct micas that degas over a different energy interval: a primary, not recrystallised or inherited domain (low and high temperature steps) and a newly formed or recrystallised one (saddle minimum in the intermediate steps). The younger subdomains formed by growth or recrystallisation could characterise the last isotopic record during an extended (re)crystallisation history. It is striking that 1612 and 1615 Ma saddle minimum ages in two samples correspond to a plateau age of 1612 Ma in another sample. Also elevated high and/or low temperature apparent ages of

The Effects of Androgens on Murine Cortical Bone Do Not Require AR or ERα Signaling in Osteoblasts and Osteoclasts

PubMed Central

Ucer, Serra; Iyer, Srividhya; Bartell, Shoshana M; Martin-Millan, Marta; Han, Li; Kim, Ha-Neui; Weinstein, Robert S; Jilka, Robert L; O’Brien, Charles A; Almeida, Maria; Manolagas, Stavros C

2016-01-01

In men, androgens are critical for the acquisition and maintenance of bone mass in both the cortical and cancellous bone compartment. Male mice with targeted deletion of the androgen receptor (AR) in mature osteoblasts or osteocytes have lower cancellous bone mass, but no cortical bone phenotype. We have investigated the possibility that the effects of androgens on the cortical compartment result from AR signaling in osteoprogenitors or cells of the osteoclast lineage; or via estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) signaling in either or both of these two cell types upon conversion of testosterone to estradiol. To this end, we generated mice with targeted deletion of an AR or an ERα allele in the mesenchymal (ARf/y;Prx1-Cre or ERαf/f;Osx1-Cre) or myeloid cell lineage (ARf/y; LysM-Cre or ERαf/f;LysM-Cre) and their descendants. Male ARf/y;Prx1-Cre mice exhibited decreased bone volume and trabecular number, and increased osteoclast number in the cancellous compartment. Moreover, they did not undergo the loss of cancellous bone volume and trabecular number caused by orchidectomy (ORX) in their littermate controls. In contrast, ARf/y;LysM-Cre, ERαf/f; Osx1-Cre, or ERαf/f;LysM-Cre mice had no cancellous bone phenotype at baseline and lost the same amount of cancellous bone as their controls following ORX. Most unexpectedly, adult males of all four models had no discernible cortical bone phenotype at baseline, and lost the same amount of cortical bone as their littermate controls after ORX. Recapitulation of the effects of ORX by AR deletion only in the ARf/y;Prx1-Cre mice indicates that the effects of androgens on cancellous bone result from AR signaling in osteoblasts—not on osteoclasts or via aromatization. The effects of androgens on cortical bone mass, on the other hand, do not require AR or ERα signaling in any cell type across the osteoblast or osteoclast differentiation lineage. Therefore, androgens must exert their effects indirectly by actions on some other cell

MEIS1 functions as a potential AR negative regulator

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cui, Liang; Department of Urology, Civil Aviation General Hospital/Civil Aviation Medical College of Peking University, Beijing 100123; Li, Mingyang

2014-10-15

The androgen receptor (AR) plays critical roles in human prostate carcinoma progression and transformation. However, the activation of AR is regulated by co-regulators. MEIS1 protein, the homeodomain transcription factor, exhibited a decreased level in poor-prognosis prostate tumors. In this study, we investigated a potential interaction between MEIS1 and AR. We found that overexpression of MEIS1 inhibited the AR transcriptional activity and reduced the expression of AR target gene. A potential protein–protein interaction between AR and MEIS1 was identified by the immunoprecipitation and GST pull-down assays. Furthermore, MEIS1 modulated AR cytoplasm/nucleus translocation and the recruitment to androgen response element in prostatemore » specific antigen (PSA) gene promoter sequences. In addition, MEIS1 promoted the recruitment of NCoR and SMRT in the presence of R1881. Finally, MEIS1 inhibited the proliferation and anchor-independent growth of LNCaP cells. Taken together, our data suggests that MEIS1 functions as a novel AR co-repressor. - Highlights: • A potential interaction was identified between MEIS1 and AR signaling. • Overexpression of MEIS1 reduced the expression of AR target gene. • MEIS1 modulated AR cytoplasm/nucleus translocation. • MEIS1 inhibited the proliferation and anchor-independent growth of LNCaP cells.« less

USDA/ARS Organic Production Research

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

For much of its history, USDA/ARS had little to do with research on organic agriculture, however research in organic systems has made considerable gains at the agency over the past decade. In the 1980's and 1990's, as the organic food industry was taking off, ARS researchers who wanted to serve orga...

Experimental study of NO2 reduction in N2/Ar and O2/Ar mixtures by pulsed corona discharge.

PubMed

Zhu, Xinbo; Zheng, Chenghang; Gao, Xiang; Shen, Xu; Wang, Zhihua; Luo, Zhongyang; Cen, Kefa

2014-11-01

Non-thermal plasma technology has been regarded as a promising alternative technology for NOx removal. The understanding of NO2 reduction characteristics is extremely important since NO2 reduction could lower the total NO oxidation rate in the plasma atmosphere. In this study, NO2 reduction was experimentally investigated using a non-thermal plasma reactor driven by a pulsed power supply for different simulated gas compositions and operating parameters. The NO2 reduction was promoted by increasing the specific energy density (SED), and the highest conversion rates were 33.7%, 42.1% and 25.7% for Ar, N2/Ar and O2/Ar, respectively. For a given SED, the NO2 conversion rate had the order N2/Ar>Ar>O2/Ar. The highest energy yield of 3.31g/kWh was obtained in N2/Ar plasma and decreased with increasing SED; the same trends were also found in the other two gas compositions. The conversion rate decreased with increasing initial NO2 concentration. Furthermore, the presence of N2 or O2 led to different reaction pathways for NO2 conversion due to the formation of different dominating reactive radicals. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Distinct evolutionary strategies of human leucocyte antigen loci in pathogen-rich environments

PubMed Central

Sanchez-Mazas, Alicia; Lemaître, Jean-François; Currat, Mathias

2012-01-01

Human leucocyte antigen (HLA) loci have a complex evolution where both stochastic (e.g. genetic drift) and deterministic (natural selection) forces are involved. Owing to their extraordinary level of polymorphism, HLA genes are useful markers for reconstructing human settlement history. However, HLA variation often deviates significantly from neutral expectations towards an excess of genetic diversity. Because HLA molecules play a crucial role in immunity, this observation is generally explained by pathogen-driven-balancing selection (PDBS). In this study, we investigate the PDBS model by analysing HLA allelic diversity on a large database of 535 populations in relation to pathogen richness. Our results confirm that geographical distances are excellent predictors of HLA genetic differentiation worldwide. We also find a significant positive correlation between genetic diversity and pathogen richness at two HLA class I loci (HLA-A and -B), as predicted by PDBS, and a significant negative correlation at one HLA class II locus (HLA-DQB1). Although these effects are weak, as shown by a loss of significance when populations submitted to rapid genetic drift are removed from the analysis, the inverse relationship between genetic diversity and pathogen richness at different loci indicates that HLA genes have adopted distinct evolutionary strategies to provide immune protection in pathogen-rich environments. PMID:22312050

Jurassic cooling ages in Paleozoic to early Mesozoic granitoids of northeastern Patagonia: 40Ar/39Ar, 40K-40Ar mica and U-Pb zircon evidence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martínez Dopico, Carmen I.; Tohver, Eric; López de Luchi, Mónica G.; Wemmer, Klaus; Rapalini, Augusto E.; Cawood, Peter A.

2017-10-01

U-Pb SHRIMP zircon crystallization ages and Ar-Ar and K-Ar mica cooling ages for basement rocks of the Yaminué and Nahuel Niyeu areas in northeastern Patagonia are presented. Granitoids that cover the time span from Ordovician to Early Triassic constitute the main outcrops of the western sector of the Yaminué block. The southern Yaminué Metaigneous Complex comprises highly deformed Ordovician and Permian granitoids crosscut by undeformed leucogranite dikes (U-Pb SHRIMP zircon age of 254 ± 2 Ma). Mica separates from highly deformed granitoids from the southern sector yielded an Ar-Ar muscovite age of 182 ± 3 Ma and a K-Ar biotite age of 186 ± 2 Ma. Moderately to highly deformed Permian to Early Triassic granitoids made up the northern Yaminué Complex. The Late Permian to Early Triassic (U-Pb SHRIMP zircon age of 252 ± 6 Ma) Cabeza de Vaca Granite of the Yaminué block yielded Jurassic mica K-Ar cooling ages (198 ± 2, 191 ± 1, and 190 ± 2 Ma). At the boundary between the Yaminué and Nahuel Niyeu blocks, K-Ar muscovite ages of 188 ± 3 and 193 ± 5 Ma were calculated for the Flores Granite, whereas the Early Permian Navarrete granodiorite, located in the Nahuel Niyeu block, yielded a K-Ar biotite age of 274 ± 4 Ma. The Jurassic thermal history is not regionally uniform. In the supracrustal exposures of the Nahuel Niyeu block, the Early Permian granitoids of its western sector as well as other Permian plutons and Ordovician leucogranites located further east show no evidence of cooling age reset since mica ages suggest cooling in the wake of crystallization of these intrusive rocks. In contrast, deeper crustal levels are inferred for Permian-Early Triassic granitoids in the Yaminué block since cooling ages for these rocks are of Jurassic age (198-182 Ma). Jurassic resetting is contemporaneous with the massive Lower Jurassic Flores Granite, and the Marifil and Chon Aike volcanic provinces. This intraplate deformational pulse that affected northeastern

A reconnaissance 40Ar/39Ar geochronologic study of ore-bearing and related rocks, Siberian Russia

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dalrymple, G.B.; Czamanske, G.K.; Fedorenko, V.A.; Simonov, O.N.; Lanphere, M.A.; Likhachev, A.P.

1995-01-01

40Ar/39Ar age spectra of biotite from a mineralized vein in the ore-bearing, Noril'sk I intrusion and from picritic-like gabbrodolerite from the weakly mineralized, Lower Talnakh intrusion show that these bodies were emplaced at 249 ?? 2 Ma, which is not significantly different from the age of the Permian-Triassic boundary. The ore-bearing intrusions postdate the lower third of the flood-basalt sequence in the Noril'sk area and, on the basis of geochemistry, can best be correlated with lavas slightly younger than those which they cut. Thus, flood basalt was erupted at the time of the Permian-Triassic mass extinction event, although its role in this event is, as yet, ill defined. Additional new 40Ar/39Ar age data for a group of intrusive and extrusive rocks on the western margin of the Siberian craton are discussed. -from Authors

In Situ Detection and Quantification of AR-V7, AR-FL, PSA, and KRAS Point Mutations in Circulating Tumor Cells.

PubMed

El-Heliebi, Amin; Hille, Claudia; Laxman, Navya; Svedlund, Jessica; Haudum, Christoph; Ercan, Erkan; Kroneis, Thomas; Chen, Shukun; Smolle, Maria; Rossmann, Christopher; Krzywkowski, Tomasz; Ahlford, Annika; Darai, Evangelia; von Amsberg, Gunhild; Alsdorf, Winfried; König, Frank; Löhr, Matthias; de Kruijff, Inge; Riethdorf, Sabine; Gorges, Tobias M; Pantel, Klaus; Bauernhofer, Thomas; Nilsson, Mats; Sedlmayr, Peter

2018-03-01

Liquid biopsies can be used in castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) to detect androgen receptor splice variant 7 (AR-V7), a splicing product of the androgen receptor. Patients with AR-V7-positive circulating tumor cells (CTCs) have greater benefit of taxane chemotherapy compared with novel hormonal therapies, indicating a treatment-selection biomarker. Likewise, in those with pancreatic cancer (PaCa), KRAS mutations act as prognostic biomarkers. Thus, there is an urgent need for technology investigating the expression and mutation status of CTCs. Here, we report an approach that adds AR-V7 or KRAS status to CTC enumeration, compatible with multiple CTC-isolation platforms. We studied 3 independent CTC-isolation devices (CellCollector, Parsortix, CellSearch) for the evaluation of AR-V7 or KRAS status of CTCs with in situ padlock probe technology. Padlock probes allow highly specific detection and visualization of transcripts on a cellular level. We applied padlock probes for detecting AR-V7, androgen receptor full length (AR-FL), and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in CRPC and KRAS wild-type (wt) and mutant (mut) transcripts in PaCa in CTCs from 46 patients. In situ analysis showed that 71% (22 of 31) of CRPC patients had detectable AR-V7 expression ranging from low to high expression [1-76 rolling circle products (RCPs)/CTC]. In PaCa patients, 40% (6 of 15) had KRAS mut expressing CTCs with 1 to 8 RCPs/CTC. In situ padlock probe analysis revealed CTCs with no detectable cytokeratin expression but positivity for AR-V7 or KRAS mut transcripts. Padlock probe technology enables quantification of AR-V7, AR-FL, PSA, and KRAS mut/wt transcripts in CTCs. The technology is easily applicable in routine laboratories and compatible with multiple CTC-isolation devices. © 2017 American Association for Clinical Chemistry.

Weathering and denudation history of the western continental margin of India constrained by combined Ar-Ar dating and paleomagnetism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jean, Amandine; Mathé, Pierre-Etienne; Beauvais, Anicet; Chardon, Dominique; Demory, François; Janwari, Shazia

2017-04-01

The western continental passive margin of Peninsular India is fringed by an escarpment, the Western Ghats escarpment (WGE), which separates a narrow coastal lowland plain drained to the west from a highland plateau drained to the east. Since Deccan Traps emplacement, the combined effects of chemical alteration and mechanical erosion led to the formation and dissection of lateritic landscapes whose relicts are preserved both sides of the WGE. Ar-Ar ages of K-rich manganese oxides (cryptomelane) sampled in the lateritic profile of each paleolandscape element have documented the weathering history and put constraints on the paleoclimatic and denudation history of Peninsular India [1,2]. The results have documented intense lateritic weathering during the Eocene (ca. 53-45 Ma) on either sides of the escarpment. Here, we present new independent constraints on the age of that weathering based on paleomagnetism of ferricretes included in thick lateritic weathering mantles of the coastal lowland plain. Our method is based on the paleomagnetic properties of Fe-oxy-hydroxides crystallized in situ in the lateritic weathering profile. The major magnetic minerals, hematite and goethite, have been analyzed by combining hysteresis and remanent magnetizations together with magnetic susceptibility measurements including thermomagnetic curves (KT curves). The main carrier of Natural Remanent Magnetization (NRM) at low temperature is a well-crystallized goethite of first generation characterized by sharp Neel temperature, Tn, at 85°C on KT curves; late goethite generations with distributed Tn below diurnal temperatures (< 65°C) are unable to keep stable NRM. At higher temperature, the component carried by primary and neoformed hematite mimics the primary goethite component. The derived paleopole fits the APWP of India at paleolatitude of 62.3° (with alpha95=5.2°) suggesting an age of ca. 52 Ma [3]. The reverse polarity systematically observed may be ascribed to Chron 23 [4] that

Complex and multi-allelic copy number variation in human disease

PubMed Central

McCarroll, Steven A.

2015-01-01

Hundreds of copy number variants are complex and multi-allelic, in that they have many structural alleles and have rearranged multiple times in the ancestors who contributed chromosomes to current humans. Not only are the relationships of these multi-allelic CNVs (mCNVs) to phenotypes generally unknown, but many mCNVs have not yet been described at the basic levels—alleles, allele frequencies, structural features—that support genetic investigation. To date, most reported disease associations to these variants have been ascertained through candidate gene studies. However, only a few associations have reached the level of acceptance defined by durable replications in many cohorts. This likely stems from longstanding challenges in making precise molecular measurements of the alleles individuals have at these loci. However, approaches for mCNV analysis are improving quickly, and some of the unique characteristics of mCNVs may assist future association studies. Their various structural alleles are likely to have different magnitudes of effect, creating a natural allelic series of growing phenotypic impact and giving investigators a set of natural predictions and testable hypotheses about the extent to which each allele of an mCNV predisposes to a phenotype. Also, mCNVs’ low-to-modest correlation to individual single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) may make it easier to distinguish between mCNVs and nearby SNPs as the drivers of an association signal, and perhaps, make it possible to preliminarily screen candidate loci, or the entire genome, for the many mCNV–disease relationships that remain to be discovered. PMID:26163405

An evolutionary approach to major histocompatibility diversity based on allele supertypes.

PubMed

Naugler, Christopher; Liwski, Robert

2008-01-01

Human leukocyte antigens are traditionally classified by serologic or molecular techniques into a bewildering variety of alleles. It is generally believed that this allelic diversity is maintained by selection pressures for inbreeding avoidance and/or maximal immune system diversity. While the usual antigen-based classification of individual alleles may be most appropriate in the artificial situation of tissue transplantation, we hypothesize that a functional classification based on allele supertypes may represent a more biologically relevant way to view MHC diversity in the contexts of mate choice and disease pathogenesis. Furthermore, immune system diversity could be quantitatively estimated by calculating a Supertype Diversity Index (SDI) which is the number of different MHC supertypes possessed by an individual. This hypothesis generates a number of testable predictions. First, it predicts that a reduced inherited diversity of MHC allele supertypes may predispose to the development of malignancies because of a decreased native ability to present different tumor-associated antigens. Furthermore, specific autoimmune diseases may be associated with the presence or absence of a particular MHC supertype rather than a particular MHC haplotype. In transplant medicine, it is possible that unmatched alleles may trigger a weaker foreign antigen response if they are matched by allele supertype. Finally, there have been several studies documenting dissortative mating in humans for dissimilar MHC alleles. We predict that natural selection should favor maximization of the heterozygosity of allele supertypes instead of the heterozygosity of individual alleles and that the previously observed dissortative mating may actually be an adaptive strategy to maximize allele supertype diversity.

Ralstonia solanacearum novel E3 ubiquitin ligase (NEL) effectors RipAW and RipAR suppress pattern-triggered immunity in plants.

PubMed

Nakano, Masahito; Oda, Kenji; Mukaihara, Takafumi

2017-07-01

Ralstonia solanacearum is the causal agent of bacterial wilt in solanaceous crops. This pathogen injects more than 70 effector proteins into host plant cells via the Hrp type III secretion system to cause a successful infection. However, the function of these effectors in plant cells, especially in the suppression of plant immunity, remains largely unknown. In this study, we characterized two Ralstonia solanacearum effectors, RipAW and RipAR, which share homology with the IpaH family of effectors from animal and plant pathogenic bacteria, that have a novel E3 ubiquitin ligase (NEL) domain. Recombinant RipAW and RipAR show E3 ubiquitin ligase activity in vitro. RipAW and RipAR localized to the cytoplasm of plant cells and significantly suppressed pattern-triggered immunity (PTI) responses such as the production of reactive oxygen species and the expression of defence-related genes when expressed in leaves of Nicotiana benthamiana. Mutation in the conserved cysteine residue in the NEL domain of RipAW completely abolished the E3 ubiquitin ligase activity in vitro and the ability to suppress PTI responses in plant leaves. These results indicate that RipAW suppresses plant PTI responses through the E3 ubiquitin ligase activity. Unlike other members of the IpaH family of effectors, RipAW and RipAR had no leucine-rich repeat motifs in their amino acid sequences. A conserved C-terminal region of RipAW is indispensable for PTI suppression. Transgenic Arabidopsis plants expressing RipAW and RipAR showed increased disease susceptibility, suggesting that RipAW and RipAR contribute to bacterial virulence in plants.

Cooperative Dynamics of AR and ER Activity in Breast Cancer

PubMed Central

D’Amato, Nicholas C.; Gordon, Michael A.; Babbs, Beatrice L.; Spoelstra, Nicole S.; Carson Butterfield, Kiel T.; Torkko, Kathleen C.; Phan, Vernon T.; Barton, Valerie N.; Rogers, Thomas J.; Sartorius, Carol A; Elias, Anthony D.; Gertz, Jason; Jacobsen, Britta M.; Richer, Jennifer K.

2016-01-01

Androgen receptor (AR) is expressed in 90% of estrogen receptor alpha positive (ER+) breast tumors, but its role in tumor growth and progression remains controversial. Use of two anti-androgens that inhibit AR nuclear localization, enzalutamide and MJC13, revealed that AR is required for maximum ER genomic binding. Here, a novel global examination of AR chromatin binding found that estradiol induced AR binding at unique sites compared to dihydrotestosterone (DHT). Estradiol-induced AR binding sites were enriched for estrogen response elements and had significant overlap with ER binding sites. Furthermore, AR inhibition reduced baseline and estradiol-mediated proliferation in multiple ER+/AR+ breast cancer cell lines, and synergized with tamoxifen and fulvestrant. In vivo, enzalutamide significantly reduced viability of tamoxifen-resistant MCF7 xenograft tumors and an ER+/AR+ patient-derived model. Enzalutamide also reduced metastatic burden following cardiac injection. Lastly, in a comparison of ER+/AR+ primary tumors versus patient-matched local recurrences or distant metastases, AR expression was often maintained even when ER was reduced or absent. These data provide pre-clinical evidence that anti-androgens that inhibit AR nuclear localization affect both AR and ER, and are effective in combination with current breast cancer therapies. In addition, single agent efficacy may be possible in tumors resistant to traditional endocrine therapy, since clinical specimens of recurrent disease demonstrate AR expression in tumors with absent or refractory ER. Implications This study suggests that AR plays a previously-unrecognized role in supporting E2-mediated ER activity in ER+/AR+ breast cancer cells, and that enzalutamide may be an effective therapeutic in ER+/AR+ breast cancers. PMID:27565181

Boron-rich plasma by high power impulse magnetron sputtering of lanthanum hexaboride

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Oks, Efim M.; Anders, Andre

2012-10-15

Boron-rich plasmas have been obtained using a LaB{sub 6} target in a high power impulse sputtering (HiPIMS) system. The presence of {sup 10}B{sup +}, {sup 11}B{sup +}, Ar{sup 2+}, Ar{sup +}, La{sup 2+}, and La{sup +} and traces of La{sup 3+}, {sup 12}C{sup +}, {sup 14}N{sup +}, and {sup 16}O{sup +} have been detected using an integrated mass and energy spectrometer. Peak currents as low as 20 A were sufficient to obtain plasma dominated by {sup 11}B{sup +} from a 5 cm planar magnetron. The ion energy distribution function for boron exhibits an energetic tail extending over several 10 eV,more » while argon shows a pronounced peak at low energy (some eV). This is in agreement with models that consider sputtering (B, La) and gas supply (from background and 'recycling'). Strong voltage oscillations develop at high current, greatly affecting power dissipation and plasma properties.« less

Reduced Height (Rht) Alleles Affect Wheat Grain Quality

PubMed Central

Casebow, Richard; Hadley, Caroline; Uppal, Rajneet; Addisu, Molla; Loddo, Stefano; Kowalski, Ania; Griffiths, Simon; Gooding, Mike

2016-01-01

The effects of dwarfing alleles (reduced height, Rht) in near isogenic lines on wheat grain quality are characterised in field experiments and related to effects on crop height, grain yield and GA-sensitivity. Alleles included those that conferred GA-insensitivity (Rht-B1b, Rht-B1c, Rht-D1b, Rht-D1c) as well as those that retained GA-sensitivity (rht(tall), Rht8, Rht8 + Ppd-D1a, Rht12). Full characterisation was facilitated by including factors with which the effects of Rht alleles are known to interact for grain yield (i.e. system, [conventional or organic]; tillage intensity [plough-based, minimum or zero]; nitrogen fertilizer level [0–450 kg N/ha]; and genetic backgrounds varying in height [cvs Maris Huntsman, Maris Widgeon, and Mercia]. Allele effects on mean grain weight and grain specific weight were positively associated with final crop height: dwarfing reduced these quality criteria irrespective of crop management or GA-sensitivity. In all but two experiments the effects of dwarfing alleles on grain nitrogen and sulphur concentrations were closely and negatively related to effects on grain yield, e.g. a quadratic relationship between grain yield and crop height manipulated by the GA-insensitive alleles was mirrored by quadratic relationships for nitrogen and sulphur concentrations: the highest yields and most dilute concentrations occurred around 80cm. In one of the two exceptional experiments the GA-insensitive Rht-B1b and Rht-B1c significantly (P<0.05) reduced grain nitrogen concentration in the absence of an effect on yield, and in the remaining experiment the GA-sensitive Rht8 significantly reduced both grain yield and grain nitrogen concentration simultaneously. When Rht alleles diluted grain nitrogen concentration, N:S ratios and SDS-sedimentation volumes were often improved. Hagberg falling number (HFN) was negatively related to crop height but benefits from dwarfing were only seen for GA-insensitive alleles. For HFN, therefore, there was the

Genotypic richness predicts phenotypic variation in an endangered clonal plant

PubMed Central

Sinclair, Elizabeth A.; Poore, Alistair G.B.; Bain, Keryn F.; Vergés, Adriana

2016-01-01

Declines in genetic diversity within a species can affect the stability and functioning of populations. The conservation of genetic diversity is thus a priority, especially for threatened or endangered species. The importance of genetic variation, however, is dependent on the degree to which it translates into phenotypic variation for traits that affect individual performance and ecological processes. This is especially important for predominantly clonal species, as no single clone is likely to maximise all aspects of performance. Here we show that intraspecific genotypic diversity as measured using microsatellites is a strong predictor of phenotypic variation in morphological traits and shoot productivity of the threatened, predominantly clonal seagrass Posidonia australis, on the east coast of Australia. Biomass and surface area variation was most strongly predicted by genotypic richness, while variation in leaf chemistry (phenolics and nitrogen) was unrelated to genotypic richness. Genotypic richness did not predict tissue loss to herbivores or epiphyte load, however we did find that increased herbivore damage was positively correlated with allelic richness. Although there was no clear relationship between higher primary productivity and genotypic richness, variation in shoot productivity within a meadow was significantly greater in more genotypically diverse meadows. The proportion of phenotypic variation explained by environmental conditions varied among different genotypes, and there was generally no variation in phenotypic traits among genotypes present in the same meadows. Our results show that genotypic richness as measured through the use of presumably neutral DNA markers does covary with phenotypic variation in functionally relevant traits such as leaf morphology and shoot productivity. The remarkably long lifespan of individual Posidonia plants suggests that plasticity within genotypes has played an important role in the longevity of the species

Ar-40/Ar-39 Age of Hornblende-bearing R Chondrite LAP 04840

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Righter, K.; Cosca, M.

2014-01-01

Chondrites have a complex chronology due to several variables affecting and operating on chondritic parent bodies such as radiogenic heating, pressure and temperature variation with depth, aqueous alteration, and shock or impact heating [1]. Unbrecciated chondrites can record ages from 4.56 to 4.4 Ga that represent cooling in small parent bodies. Some brecciated chondrites exhibit younger ages (<<4 to 4.4 Ga) that may reflect the age of brecciation, disturbance, or shock and impact events (<< 4 Ga). A unique R chondrite was recently found in the LaPaz Icefield of Antarctica - LAP 04840 [2]. This chondrite contains approx.15% hornblende and trace amounts of biotite, making it the first of its kind. Studies have revealed an equigranular texture, mineral equilibria yielding equilibration near 650-700 C and 250-500 bars, hornblende that is dominantly OH-bearing (very little Cl or F), and high D/H ratios [8,9,10]. To help gain a better understanding of the origin of this unique sample, we have measured the Ar-40/Ar-39 age. Age of 4.290 +/- 0.030 Ga is younger than one would expect for a sample that has cooled within a small body [4], and one might instead attribute the age to a younger shock event, On the other hand, there is no evidence for extensive shock in this meteorite (shock stage S2; [3]), so this sample may have been reannealed after the shock event. This age is similar to Ar-Ar ages determined for some other R chondrites

The implementation of an AR (augmented reality) approach to support mammographic interpretation training: an initial feasibility study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, Qiang; Chen, Yan; Gale, Alastair G.

2017-03-01

Appropriate feedback plays an important role in optimising mammographic interpretation training whilst also ensuring good interpretation performance. The traditional keyboard, mouse and workstation technical approach has a critical limitation in providing supplementary image-related information and providing complex feedback in real time. Augmented Reality (AR) provides a possible superior approach in this situation, as feedback can be provided directly overlaying the displayed mammographic images so making a generic approach which can also be vendor neutral. In this study, radiological feedback was dynamically remapped virtually into the real world, using perspective transformation, in order to provide a richer user experience in mammographic interpretation training. This is an initial attempt of an AR approach to dynamically superimpose pre-defined feedback information of a DICOM image on top of a radiologist's view, whilst the radiologist is examining images on a clinical workstation. The study demonstrates the feasibility of the approach, although there are limitations on interactive operations which are due to the hardware used. The results of this fully functional approach provide appropriate feedback/image correspondence in a simulated mammographic interpretation environment. Thus, it is argued that employing AR is a feasible way to provide rich feedback in the delivery of mammographic interpretation training.

Allelic variants of hereditary prions: The bimodularity principle

PubMed Central

Tikhodeyev, Oleg N.; Tarasov, Oleg V.; Bondarev, Stanislav A.

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT Modern biology requires modern genetic concepts equally valid for all discovered mechanisms of inheritance, either “canonical” (mediated by DNA sequences) or epigenetic. Applying basic genetic terms such as “gene” and “allele” to protein hereditary factors is one of the necessary steps toward these concepts. The basic idea that different variants of the same prion protein can be considered as alleles has been previously proposed by Chernoff and Tuite. In this paper, the notion of prion allele is further developed. We propose the idea that any prion allele is a bimodular hereditary system that depends on a certain DNA sequence (DNA determinant) and a certain epigenetic mark (epigenetic determinant). Alteration of any of these 2 determinants may lead to establishment of a new prion allele. The bimodularity principle is valid not only for hereditary prions; it seems to be universal for any epigenetic hereditary factor. PMID:28281926

Photoelectron spectroscopy of Ar/Cu(100) interface states

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rohleder, M.; Berthold, W.; Güdde, J.; Höfer, U.

2007-08-01

Buried interface states in Ar/Cu(100) were studied by means of one- and two-photon photoemission experiments. With increasing Ar overlayer thickness, a transition from broad electron scattering resonances in the Ar conduction band into a hydrogen-like series of quasi-bound states at the Ar/Cu interface was observed. The thickness dependence of energies and lifetimes is compared to theoretical resonance positions and linewidths derived from a parameterized one-dimensional potential.

Identification of an IL-1-induced gene expression pattern in AR+ PCa cells that mimics the molecular phenotype of AR- PCa cells.

PubMed

Thomas-Jardin, Shayna E; Kanchwala, Mohammed S; Jacob, Joan; Merchant, Sana; Meade, Rachel K; Gahnim, Nagham M; Nawas, Afshan F; Xing, Chao; Delk, Nikki A

2018-06-01

In immunosurveillance, bone-derived immune cells infiltrate the tumor and secrete inflammatory cytokines to destroy cancer cells. However, cancer cells have evolved mechanisms to usurp inflammatory cytokines to promote tumor progression. In particular, the inflammatory cytokine, interleukin-1 (IL-1), is elevated in prostate cancer (PCa) patient tissue and serum, and promotes PCa bone metastasis. IL-1 also represses androgen receptor (AR) accumulation and activity in PCa cells, yet the cells remain viable and tumorigenic; suggesting that IL-1 may also contribute to AR-targeted therapy resistance. Furthermore, IL-1 and AR protein levels negatively correlate in PCa tumor cells. Taken together, we hypothesize that IL-1 reprograms AR positive (AR + ) PCa cells into AR negative (AR - ) PCa cells that co-opt IL-1 signaling to ensure AR-independent survival and tumor progression in the inflammatory tumor microenvironment. LNCaP and PC3 PCa cells were treated with IL-1β or HS-5 bone marrow stromal cell (BMSC) conditioned medium and analyzed by RNA sequencing and RT-QPCR. To verify genes identified by RNA sequencing, LNCaP, MDA-PCa-2b, PC3, and DU145 PCa cell lines were treated with the IL-1 family members, IL-1α or IL-1β, or exposed to HS-5 BMSC in the presence or absence of Interleukin-1 Receptor Antagonist (IL-1RA). Treated cells were analyzed by western blot and/or RT-QPCR. Comparative analysis of sequencing data from the AR + LNCaP PCa cell line versus the AR - PC3 PCa cell line reveals an IL-1-conferred gene suite in LNCaP cells that is constitutive in PC3 cells. Bioinformatics analysis of the IL-1 regulated gene suite revealed that inflammatory and immune response pathways are primarily elicited; likely facilitating PCa cell survival and tumorigenicity in an inflammatory tumor microenvironment. Our data supports that IL-1 reprograms AR + PCa cells to mimic AR - PCa gene expression patterns that favor AR-targeted treatment resistance and cell survival. © 2018 Wiley

Ar-39 - Ar-40 Dating of Two Angrites and Two Brachnites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Garrison, Daniel; Bogard, Donald

2003-01-01

Angrites are a rare group (approx.7 known) of igneous meteorites with basalt-like composition, which probably derive from a relatively small parent body that differs from those of other igneous meteorites. Angrites show evidence for extinct Mn-53, Sm-146, and Pu-244, and precise U-Pb, and Pb-Pb ages of 4.558 Gyr for two angrites define the time of early parent body differentiation. The S-147 - Nd-143 ages of two angrites range between 4.53+/-0.04 and 4.56+/-0.04 Gyr, but no Ar-39 - Ar-40 or Rb-Sr ages have been reported. Most angrites show no evidence for either shock brecciation or metamorphism.

Laser-fusion 40Ar/39Ar Ages of Darwin Impact Glass

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lo, Ching-Hua; Howard, Kieren T.; Chung, Sun-Lin; Meffre, Sebastien

2002-11-01

Three samples of Darwin Glass, an impact glass found in Tasmania, Australia at the edge of the Australasian tektite strewn field were dated using the 40Ar/39Ar single-grain laser fusion technique, yielding isochron ages of 796-815 ka with an overall weighted mean of 816 ± 7 ka. These data are statistically indistinguishable from those recently reported for the Australasian tektites from Southeast Asia and Australia (761-816 ka; with a mean weighted age of 803 ± 3 ka). However, considering the compositional and textural differences and the disparity from the presumed impact crater area for Australasian tektites, Darwin Glass is more likely to have resulted from a distinct impact during the same period of time.

Targeting AR Variant-Coactivator Interactions to Exploit Prostate Cancer Vulnerabilities.

PubMed

Magani, Fiorella; Peacock, Stephanie O; Rice, Meghan A; Martinez, Maria J; Greene, Ann M; Magani, Pablo S; Lyles, Rolando; Weitz, Jonathan R; Burnstein, Kerry L

2017-11-01

Castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) progresses rapidly and is incurable. Constitutively active androgen receptor splice variants (AR-Vs) represent a well-established mechanism of therapeutic resistance and disease progression. These variants lack the AR ligand-binding domain and, as such, are not inhibited by androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), which is the standard systemic approach for advanced prostate cancer. Signaling by AR-Vs, including the clinically relevant AR-V7, is augmented by Vav3, an established AR coactivator in CRPC. Using mutational and biochemical studies, we demonstrated that the Vav3 Diffuse B-cell lymphoma homology (DH) domain interacted with the N-terminal region of AR-V7 (and full length AR). Expression of the Vav3 DH domain disrupted Vav3 interaction with and enhancement of AR-V7 activity. The Vav3 DH domain also disrupted AR-V7 interaction with other AR coactivators: Src1 and Vav2, which are overexpressed in PC. This Vav3 domain was used in proof-of-concept studies to evaluate the effects of disrupting the interaction between AR-V7 and its coactivators on CRPC cells. This disruption decreased CRPC cell proliferation and anchorage-independent growth, caused increased apoptosis, decreased migration, and resulted in the acquisition of morphological changes associated with a less aggressive phenotype. While disrupting the interaction between FL-AR and its coactivators decreased N-C terminal interaction, disrupting the interaction of AR-V7 with its coactivators decreased AR-V7 nuclear levels. Implications: This study demonstrates the potential therapeutic utility of inhibiting constitutively active AR-V signaling by disrupting coactivator binding. Such an approach is significant, as AR-Vs are emerging as important drivers of CRPC that are particularly recalcitrant to current therapies. Mol Cancer Res; 15(11); 1469-80. ©2017 AACR . ©2017 American Association for Cancer Research.

Isolation and characterization of vB_ArS-ArV2 - first Arthrobacter sp. infecting bacteriophage with completely sequenced genome.

PubMed

Šimoliūnas, Eugenijus; Kaliniene, Laura; Stasilo, Miroslav; Truncaitė, Lidija; Zajančkauskaitė, Aurelija; Staniulis, Juozas; Nainys, Juozas; Kaupinis, Algirdas; Valius, Mindaugas; Meškys, Rolandas

2014-01-01

This is the first report on a complete genome sequence and biological characterization of the phage that infects Arthrobacter. A novel virus vB_ArS-ArV2 (ArV2) was isolated from soil using Arthrobacter sp. 68b strain for phage propagation. Based on transmission electron microscopy, ArV2 belongs to the family Siphoviridae and has an isometric head (∼63 nm in diameter) with a non-contractile flexible tail (∼194×10 nm) and six short tail fibers. ArV2 possesses a linear, double-stranded DNA genome (37,372 bp) with a G+C content of 62.73%. The genome contains 68 ORFs yet encodes no tRNA genes. A total of 28 ArV2 ORFs have no known functions and lack any reliable database matches. Proteomic analysis led to the experimental identification of 14 virion proteins, including 9 that were predicted by bioinformatics approaches. Comparative phylogenetic analysis, based on the amino acid sequence alignment of conserved proteins, set ArV2 apart from other siphoviruses. The data presented here will help to advance our understanding of Arthrobacter phage population and will extend our knowledge about the interaction between this particular host and its phages.

C3aR and C5aR1 act as key regulators of human and mouse β-cell function.

PubMed

Atanes, Patricio; Ruz-Maldonado, Inmaculada; Pingitore, Attilio; Hawkes, Ross; Liu, Bo; Zhao, Min; Huang, Guo Cai; Persaud, Shanta J; Amisten, Stefan

2018-02-01

Complement components 3 and 5 (C3 and C5) play essential roles in the complement system, generating C3a and C5a peptides that are best known as chemotactic and inflammatory factors. In this study we characterised islet expression of C3 and C5 complement components, and the impact of C3aR and C5aR1 activation on islet function and viability. Human and mouse islet mRNAs encoding key elements of the complement system were quantified by qPCR and distribution of C3 and C5 proteins was determined by immunohistochemistry. Activation of C3aR and C5aR1 was determined using DiscoverX beta-arrestin assays. Insulin secretion from human and mouse islets was measured by radioimmunoassay, and intracellular calcium ([Ca 2+ ]i), ATP generation and apoptosis were assessed by standard techniques. C3 and C5 proteins and C3aR and C5aR1 were expressed by human and mouse islets, and C3 and C5 were mainly localised to β- and α-cells. Conditioned media from islets exposed for 1 h to 5.5 and 20 mM glucose stimulated C3aR and C5aR1-driven beta-arrestin recruitment. Activation of C3aR and C5aR1 potentiated glucose-induced insulin secretion from human and mouse islets, increased [Ca 2+ ]i and ATP generation, and protected islets against apoptosis induced by a pro-apoptotic cytokine cocktail or palmitate. Our observations demonstrate a functional link between activation of components of the innate immune system and improved β-cell function, suggesting that low-level chronic inflammation may improve glucose homeostasis through direct effects on β-cells.

Partial androgen insensitivity syndrome caused by a deep intronic mutation creating an alternative splice acceptor site of the AR gene.

PubMed

Ono, Hiroyuki; Saitsu, Hirotomo; Horikawa, Reiko; Nakashima, Shinichi; Ohkubo, Yumiko; Yanagi, Kumiko; Nakabayashi, Kazuhiko; Fukami, Maki; Fujisawa, Yasuko; Ogata, Tsutomu

2018-02-02

Although partial androgen insensitivity syndrome (PAIS) is caused by attenuated responsiveness to androgens, androgen receptor gene (AR) mutations on the coding regions and their splice sites have been identified only in <25% of patients with a diagnosis of PAIS. We performed extensive molecular studies including whole exome sequencing in a Japanese family with PAIS, identifying a deep intronic variant beyond the branch site at intron 6 of AR (NM_000044.4:c.2450-42 G > A). This variant created the splice acceptor motif that was accompanied by pyrimidine-rich sequence and two candidate branch sites. Consistent with this, reverse transcriptase (RT)-PCR experiments for cycloheximide-treated lymphoblastoid cell lines revealed a relatively large amount of aberrant mRNA produced by the newly created splice acceptor site and a relatively small amount of wildtype mRNA produced by the normal splice acceptor site. Furthermore, most of the aberrant mRNA was shown to undergo nonsense mediated decay (NMD) and, if a small amount of aberrant mRNA may have escaped NMD, such mRNA was predicted to generate a truncated AR protein missing some functional domains. These findings imply that the deep intronic mutation creating an alternative splice acceptor site resulted in the production of a relatively small amount of wildtype AR mRNA, leading to PAIS.

KIR2DL2/2DL3-E35 alleles are functionally stronger than -Q35 alleles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bari, Rafijul; Thapa, Rajoo; Bao, Ju; Li, Ying; Zheng, Jie; Leung, Wing

2016-03-01

KIR2DL2 and KIR2DL3 segregate as alleles of a single locus in the centromeric motif of the killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptor (KIR) gene family. Although KIR2DL2/L3 polymorphism is known to be associated with many human diseases and is an important factor for donor selection in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, the molecular determinant of functional diversity among various alleles is unclear. In this study we found that KIR2DL2/L3 with glutamic acid at position 35 (E35) are functionally stronger than those with glutamine at the same position (Q35). Cytotoxicity assay showed that NK cells from HLA-C1 positive donors with KIR2DL2/L3-E35 could kill more target cells lacking their ligands than NK cells with the weaker -Q35 alleles, indicating better licensing of KIR2DL2/L3+ NK cells with the stronger alleles. Molecular modeling analysis reveals that the glutamic acid, which is negatively charged, interacts with positively charged histidine located at position 55, thereby stabilizing KIR2DL2/L3 dimer and reducing entropy loss when KIR2DL2/3 binds to HLA-C ligand. The results of this study will be important for future studies of KIR2DL2/L3-associated diseases as well as for donor selection in allogeneic stem cell transplantation.

Cell cycle-coupled expansion of AR activity promotes cancer progression.

PubMed

McNair, C; Urbanucci, A; Comstock, C E S; Augello, M A; Goodwin, J F; Launchbury, R; Zhao, S G; Schiewer, M J; Ertel, A; Karnes, J; Davicioni, E; Wang, L; Wang, Q; Mills, I G; Feng, F Y; Li, W; Carroll, J S; Knudsen, K E

2017-03-23

The androgen receptor (AR) is required for prostate cancer (PCa) survival and progression, and ablation of AR activity is the first line of therapeutic intervention for disseminated disease. While initially effective, recurrent tumors ultimately arise for which there is no durable cure. Despite the dependence of PCa on AR activity throughout the course of disease, delineation of the AR-dependent transcriptional network that governs disease progression remains elusive, and the function of AR in mitotically active cells is not well understood. Analyzing AR activity as a function of cell cycle revealed an unexpected and highly expanded repertoire of AR-regulated gene networks in actively cycling cells. New AR functions segregated into two major clusters: those that are specific to cycling cells and retained throughout the mitotic cell cycle ('Cell Cycle Common'), versus those that were specifically enriched in a subset of cell cycle phases ('Phase Restricted'). Further analyses identified previously unrecognized AR functions in major pathways associated with clinical PCa progression. Illustrating the impact of these unmasked AR-driven pathways, dihydroceramide desaturase 1 was identified as an AR-regulated gene in mitotically active cells that promoted pro-metastatic phenotypes, and in advanced PCa proved to be highly associated with development of metastases, recurrence after therapeutic intervention and reduced overall survival. Taken together, these findings delineate AR function in mitotically active tumor cells, thus providing critical insight into the molecular basis by which AR promotes development of lethal PCa and nominate new avenues for therapeutic intervention.

The miR9863 Family Regulates Distinct Mla Alleles in Barley to Attenuate NLR Receptor-Triggered Disease Resistance and Cell-Death Signaling

PubMed Central

Liu, Jie; Cheng, Xiliu; Liu, Da; Xu, Weihui; Wise, Roger; Shen, Qian-Hua

2014-01-01

Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) Mla alleles encode coiled-coil (CC), nucleotide binding, leucine-rich repeat (NB-LRR) receptors that trigger isolate-specific immune responses against the powdery mildew fungus, Blumeria graminis f. sp. hordei (Bgh). How Mla or NB-LRR genes in grass species are regulated at post-transcriptional level is not clear. The microRNA family, miR9863, comprises four members that differentially regulate distinct Mla alleles in barley. We show that miR9863 members guide the cleavage of Mla1 transcripts in barley, and block or reduce the accumulation of MLA1 protein in the heterologous Nicotiana benthamiana expression system. Regulation specificity is determined by variation in a unique single-nucleotide-polymorphism (SNP) in mature miR9863 family members and two SNPs in the Mla miR9863-binding site that separates these alleles into three groups. Further, we demonstrate that 22-nt miR9863s trigger the biogenesis of 21-nt phased siRNAs (phasiRNAs) and together these sRNAs form a feed-forward regulation network for repressing the expression of group I Mla alleles. Overexpression of miR9863 members specifically attenuates MLA1, but not MLA10-triggered disease resistance and cell-death signaling. We propose a key role of the miR9863 family in dampening immune response signaling triggered by a group of MLA immune receptors in barley. PMID:25502438

Geology, S-Pb isotopes, and 40Ar/39Ar geochronology of the Zhaxikang Sb-Pb-Zn-Ag deposit in Southern Tibet: implications for multiple mineralization events at Zhaxikang

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Xiang; Zheng, Youye; Pirajno, Franco; McCuaig, T. Campbell; Yu, Miao; Xia, Shenlan; Song, Qingjie; Chang, Huifang

2018-03-01

the early Pb-Zn veins were overprinted by later Sb-rich fluids. Stage 2 fluids were likely acidic and oxidized and leached lead from high-grade metamorphic rocks of the Greater Himalayan crystalline complex (GHC) and sulfur from reduced rocks, such as slate of the Ridang Formation, along N-S trending faults, leading to precipitation of Pb-Zn sulfides and Mn-Fe carbonate and formation of solution collapse breccias. Later Sb-rich fluids leached Pb from the GHC and the pre-existing sulfides and deposited Fe-poor sphalerite, Ag-rich galena, tetrahedrite, Sb-Pb sulfosalts, and stibnite in quartz veins that cut pre-existing Pb-Zn-bearing Mn-Fe carbonate veins. The Sb-rich fluids also likely leached Pb from Early Cretaceous gabbro and formed stibnite at shallow levels where early Pb-Zn-bearing Mn-Fe carbonate veins are absent. A sericite 40Ar-39Ar plateau age of 17.9 ± 0.5 Ma from stage 3 veins represents the timing of the onset of stage 3 mineralization.

Integration of Mobile AR Technology in Performance Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kuo-Hung, Chao; Kuo-En, Chang; Chung-Hsien, Lan; Kinshuk; Yao-Ting, Sung

2016-01-01

This study was aimed at exploring how to use augmented reality (AR) technology to enhance the effect of performance assessment (PA). A mobile AR performance assessment system (MARPAS) was developed by integrating AR technology to reduce the limitations in observation and assessment during PA. This system includes three modules: Authentication, AR…

HLA-A*02 allele frequencies and haplotypic associations in Koreans.

PubMed

Park, M H; Whang, D H; Kang, S J; Han, K S

2000-03-01

We have investigated the frequencies of HLA-A*02 alleles and their haplotypic associations with HLA-B and -DRB1 loci in 439 healthy unrelated Koreans, including 214 parents from 107 families. All of the 227 samples (51.7%) typed as A2 by serology were analyzed for A*02 alleles using polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-low ionic strength-single-strand conformation polymorphism (LIS-SSCP) method. A total of six different A*02 alleles were detected (A*02 allele frequency 29.6%): A*0201/9 (16.6%), *0203 (0.5%), *0206 (9.3%), *0207 (3.0%), and one each case of *0210 and *02 undetermined type. Two characteristic haplotypes showing the strongest linkage disequilibrium were A*0203-B38-DRB]*1502 and A*0207-B46-DRB1*0803. Besides these strong associations, significant two-locus associations (P<0.001) were observed for A*0201 with B61, DRB1*0901 and DRB1*1401, and for A*0206 with B48 and B61. HLA haplotypes carrying HLA-A2 showed a variable distribution of A*02 alleles, and all of the eight most common A2-B-DR haplotypes occurring at frequencies of > or =1% were variably associated with two different A*02 alleles. These results demonstrate that substantial heterogeneity is present in the distribution of HLA-A*02 alleles and related haplotypes in Koreans.

Characterization of a novel androgen receptor (AR) coregulator RIPK1 and related chemicals that suppress AR-mediated prostate cancer growth via peptide and chemical screening.

PubMed

Hsu, Cheng-Lung; Liu, Jai-Shin; Lin, Ting-Wei; Chang, Ying-Hsu; Kuo, Yung-Chia; Lin, An-Chi; Ting, Huei-Ju; Pang, See-Tong; Lee, Li-Yu; Ma, Wen-Lung; Lin, Chun-Cheng; Wu, Wen-Guey

2017-09-19

Using bicalutamide-androgen receptor (AR) DNA binding domain-ligand binding domain as bait, we observed enrichment of FxxFY motif-containing peptides. Protein database searches revealed the presence of receptor-interacting protein kinase 1 (RIPK1) harboring one FxxFY motif. RIPK1 interacted directly with AR and suppressed AR transactivation in a dose-dependent manner. Domain mapping experiments showed that the FxxFY motif in RIPK1 is critical for interactions with AR and the death domain of RIPK1 plays a crucial role in its inhibitory effect on transactivation. In terms of tissue expression, RIPK1 levels were markedly higher in benign prostate hyperplasia and non-cancerous tissue regions relative to the tumor area. With the aid of computer modeling for screening of chemicals targeting activation function 2 (AF-2) of AR, we identified oxadiazole derivatives as good candidates and subsequently generated a small library of these compounds. A number of candidates could effectively suppress AR transactivation and AR-related functions in vitro and in vivo with tolerable toxicity via inhibiting AR-peptide, AR-coregulator and AR N-C interactions. Combination of these chemicals with antiandrogen had an additive suppressive effect on AR transcriptional activity. Our collective findings may pave the way in creating new strategies for the development and design of anti-AR drugs.

Mutations in the ABCA4 (ABCR) gene are the major cause of autosomal recessive cone-rod dystrophy.

PubMed

Maugeri, A; Klevering, B J; Rohrschneider, K; Blankenagel, A; Brunner, H G; Deutman, A F; Hoyng, C B; Cremers, F P

2000-10-01

The photoreceptor cell-specific ATP-binding cassette transporter gene (ABCA4; previously denoted "ABCR") is mutated, in most patients, with autosomal recessive (AR) Stargardt disease (STGD1) or fundus flavimaculatus (FFM). In addition, a few cases with AR retinitis pigmentosa (RP) and AR cone-rod dystrophy (CRD) have been found to have ABCA4 mutations. To evaluate the importance of the ABCA4 gene as a cause of AR CRD, we selected 5 patients with AR CRD and 15 patients from Germany and The Netherlands with isolated CRD. Single-strand conformation-polymorphism analysis and sequencing revealed 19 ABCA4 mutations in 13 (65%) of 20 patients. In six patients, mutations were identified in both ABCA4 alleles; in seven patients, mutations were detected in one allele. One complex ABCA4 allele (L541P;A1038V) was found exclusively in German patients with CRD; one patient carried this complex allele homozygously, and five others were compound heterozygous. These findings suggest that mutations in the ABCA4 gene are the major cause of AR CRD. A primary role of the ABCA4 gene in STGD1/FFM and AR CRD, together with the gene's involvement in an as-yet-unknown proportion of cases with AR RP, strengthens the idea that mutations in the ABCA4 gene could be the most frequent cause of inherited retinal dystrophy in humans.

Silvicultural management and the manipulation of rare alleles

Treesearch

Paul G. Schaberg; Gary J. Hawley; Donald H. DeHayes; Samuel E. Nijensohn

2004-01-01

Because rare alleles provide a means for adaptation to environmental change they are often considered important to long-term forest health. Through the selective removal of trees (and genes), silvicultural management may alter the genetic structure of forests, with rare alleles perhaps being uniquely vulnerable to manipulation due to their low frequencies or...

The development of AR book for computer learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Phadung, Muneeroh; Wani, Najela; Tongmnee, Nur-aiynee

2017-08-01

Educators need to provide the alternative educational tools to foster learning outcomes of students. By using AR technology to create exciting edutainment experiences, this paper presents how augmented reality (AR) can be applied in the education. This study aims to develop the AR book for tenth grade students (age 15-16) and evaluate its quality. The AR book was developed based on ADDIE framework processes to provide computer learning on software computer knowledge. The content was accorded with the current Thai education curriculum. The AR book had 10 pages in three topics (the first was "Introduction," the second was "System Software" and the third was "Application Software"). Each page contained markers that placed virtual objects (2D animation and video clip). The obtained data were analyzed in terms of average and standard deviation. The validity of multimedia design of the AR book was assessed by three experts in multimedia design. A five-point Likert scale was used and the values were X¯ =4 .84 , S.D. = 1.27 which referred to very high. Moreover, three content experts, who specialize in computer teaching, evaluated the AR book's validity. The values determined by the experts were X¯ =4 .69 , S.D. = 0.29 which referred to very high. Implications for future study and education are discussed.

Contact USDA-ARS | USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map

Science.gov Websites

USDA Logo Agricultural Research Service United States Department of Agriculture Mapping by PRISM / Help / Contact USDA-ARS Topics How to Use This Website Contact USDA-ARS Contact USDA Agricultural Mapping, please contact the USDA Agricultural Research Service by sending an e-mail to phzm@ars.usda.gov

Glycogen synthase kinase-3 inhibitors suppress the AR-V7-mediated transcription and selectively inhibit cell growth in AR-V7-positive prostate cancer cells.

PubMed

Nakata, Daisuke; Koyama, Ryokichi; Nakayama, Kazuhide; Kitazawa, Satoshi; Watanabe, Tatsuya; Hara, Takahito

2017-06-01

Recent evidence suggests that androgen receptor (AR) splice variants, including AR-V7, play a pivotal role in resistance to androgen blockade in prostate cancer treatment. The development of new therapeutic agents that can suppress the transcriptional activities of AR splice variants has been anticipated as the next generation treatment of castration-resistant prostate cancer. High-throughput screening of AR-V7 signaling inhibitors was performed using an AR-V7 reporter system. The effects of a glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK3) inhibitor, LY-2090314, on endogenous AR-V7 signaling were evaluated in an AR-V7-positive cell line, JDCaP-hr, by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. The relationship between AR-V7 signaling and β-catenin signaling was assessed using RNA interference. The effect of LY-2090314 on cell growth in various prostate cancer cell lines was also evaluated. We identified GSK3 inhibitors as transcriptional suppressors of AR-V7 using a high-throughput screen with an AR-V7 reporter system. LY-2090314 suppressed the reporter activity and endogenous AR-V7 activity in JDCaP-hr cells. Because silencing of β-catenin partly rescued the suppression, it was evident that the suppression was mediated, at least partially, via the activation of β-catenin signaling. AR-V7 signaling and β-catenin signaling reciprocally regulate each other in JDCaP-hr cells, and therefore, GSK3 inhibition can repress AR-V7 transcriptional activity by accumulating intracellular β-catenin. Notably, LY-2090314 selectively inhibited the growth of AR-V7-positive prostate cancer cells in vitro. Our findings demonstrate the potential of GSK3 inhibitors in treating advanced prostate cancer driven by AR splice variants. In vivo evaluation of AR splice variant-positive prostate cancer models will help illustrate the overall significance of GSK3 inhibitors in treating prostate cancer. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

ONC201 Targets AR and AR-V7 Signaling, Reduces PSA, and Synergizes with Everolimus in Prostate Cancer.

PubMed

Lev, Avital; Lulla, Amriti R; Ross, Brian C; Ralff, Marie D; Makhov, Petr B; Dicker, David T; El-Deiry, Wafik S

2018-05-01

Androgen receptor (AR) signaling plays a key role in prostate cancer progression, and androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is a mainstay clinical treatment regimen for patients with advanced disease. Unfortunately, most prostate cancers eventually become androgen-independent and resistant to ADT with patients progressing to metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). Constitutively activated AR variants (AR-V) have emerged as mediators of resistance to AR-targeted therapy and the progression of mCRPC, and they represent an important therapeutic target. Out of at least 15 AR-Vs described thus far, AR-V7 is the most abundant, and its expression correlates with ADT resistance. ONC201/TIC10 is the founding member of the imipridone class of small molecules and has shown anticancer activity in a broad range of tumor types. ONC201 is currently being tested in phase I/II clinical trials for advanced solid tumors, including mCRPC, and hematologic malignancies. There has been promising activity observed in patients in early clinical testing. This study demonstrates preclinical single-agent efficacy of ONC201 using in vitro and in vivo models of prostate cancer. ONC201 has potent antiproliferative and proapoptotic effects in both castration-resistant and -sensitive prostate cancer cells. Furthermore, the data demonstrate that ONC201 downregulates the expression of key drivers of prostate cancer such as AR-V7 and downstream target genes including the clinically used biomarker PSA (KLK3). Finally, the data also provide a preclinical rationale for combination of ONC201 with approved therapeutics for prostate cancer such as enzalutamide, everolimus (mTOR inhibitor), or docetaxel. Implications: The preclinical efficacy of ONC201 as a single agent or in combination, in hormone-sensitive or castration-resistant prostate cancer, suggests the potential for immediate clinical translation. Mol Cancer Res; 16(5); 754-66. ©2018 AACR . ©2018 American Association for Cancer

AR Signaling in Human Malignancies: Prostate Cancer and Beyond.

PubMed

Antonarakis, Emmanuel S

2018-01-18

The notion that androgens and androgen receptor (AR) signaling are the hallmarks of prostate cancer oncogenesis and disease progression is generally well accepted. What is more poorly understood is the role of AR signaling in other human malignancies. This special issue of Cancers initially reviews the role of AR in advanced prostate cancer, and then explores the potential importance of AR signaling in other epithelial malignancies. The first few articles focus on the use of novel AR-targeting therapies in castration-resistant prostate cancer and the mechanisms of resistance to novel antiandrogens, and they also outline the interaction between AR and other cellular pathways, including PI3 kinase signaling, transcriptional regulation, angiogenesis, stromal factors, Wnt signaling, and epigenetic regulation in prostate cancer. The next several articles review the possible role of androgens and AR signaling in breast cancer, bladder cancer, salivary gland cancer, and hepatocellular carcinoma, as well as the potential treatment implications of using antiandrogen therapies in these non-prostatic malignancies.

CGG allele size somatic mosaicism and methylation in FMR1 premutation alleles

PubMed Central

Pretto, Dalyir I.; Mendoza-Morales, Guadalupe; Lo, Joyce; Cao, Ru; Hadd, Andrew; Latham, Gary J.; Durbin-Johnson, Blythe; Hagerman, Randi; Tassone, Flora

2014-01-01

Background Greater than 200 CGG repeats in the 5′UTR of the FMR1 gene leads to epigenetic silencing and lack of the FMR1 protein, causing Fragile X Syndrome. Individuals carriers of a premutation (PM) allele with 55–200 CGG repeats are typically unmethylated and can present with clinical features defined as FMR1 associated conditions. Methods Blood samples from 17 male PM carriers were assessed clinically and molecularly by Southern Blot, Western Blot, PCR and QRT-PCR. Blood and brain tissue from additional 18 PM males were also similarly examined. Continuous outcomes were modeled using linear regression and binary outcomes were modeled using logistic regression. Results Methylated alleles were detected in different fractions of blood cells in all PM cases (n= 17). CGG repeat numbers correlated with percent of methylation and mRNA levels and, especially in the upper PM range, with greater number of clinical involvements. Inter/intra- tissue somatic instability and differences in percent methylation were observed between blood and fibroblasts (n=4) and also observed between blood and different brain regions in three of the 18 premutation cases examined. CGG repeat lengths in lymphocytes remained unchanged over a period of time ranging from 2–6 years, three cases for whom multiple samples were available. Conclusion In addition to CGG size instability, individuals with a PM expanded alleles can exhibit methylation and display more clinical features likely due to RNA toxicity and/or FMR1 silencing. The observed association between CGG repeat length and percent of methylation with the severity of the clinical phenotypes underscores the potential value of methylation in affected PM to further understand penetrance, inform diagnosis and to expand treatment options. PMID:24591415

Allelic inhibition of displacement activity: a simplified one tube allele-specific PCR for evaluation of ITPA polymorphisms.

PubMed

Galmozzi, E; Facchetti, F; Degasperi, E; Aghemo, A; Lampertico, P

2013-02-01

Recently, genome-wide association studies (GWAS) in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection have identified two functional single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the inosine triphosphatase (ITPA) gene, that are associated strongly and independently with hemolytic anemia in patients exposed to pegylated-interferon (Peg-IFN) plus ribavirin (RBV) combined therapy. Here has been developed a simplified allele discrimination polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay named allelic inhibition of displacement activity (AIDA) for evaluation of ITPA polymorphisms. AIDA system relies on three unlabeled primers only, two outer common primers and one inner primer with allele-specific 3' terminus mismatch. DNA samples from 192 patients with chronic HCV infection were used to validate the AIDA system and results were compared with the gold standard TaqMan(®) SNP genotyping assay. Concordant data were obtained for all samples, granting for high specificity of the method. In conclusion, AIDA is a practical one-tube method to reproducibly and to assess accurately rs7270101 and rs1127354 ITPA SNPs. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Androgen receptor splice variants circumvent AR blockade by microtubule-targeting agents

PubMed Central

Zhang, Guanyi; Liu, Xichun; Li, Jianzhuo; Ledet, Elisa; Alvarez, Xavier; Qi, Yanfeng; Fu, Xueqi; Sartor, Oliver; Dong, Yan; Zhang, Haitao

2015-01-01

Docetaxel-based chemotherapy is established as a first-line treatment and standard of care for patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. However, half of the patients do not respond to treatment and those do respond eventually become refractory. A better understanding of the resistance mechanisms to taxane chemotherapy is both urgent and clinical significant, as taxanes (docetaxel and cabazitaxel) are being used in various clinical settings. Sustained signaling through the androgen receptor (AR) has been established as a hallmark of CRPC. Recently, splicing variants of AR (AR-Vs) that lack the ligand-binding domain (LBD) have been identified. These variants are constitutively active and drive prostate cancer growth in a castration-resistant manner. In taxane-resistant cell lines, we found the expression of a major variant, AR-V7, was upregulated. Furthermore, ectopic expression of two clinically relevant AR-Vs (AR-V7 and ARV567es), but not the full-length AR (AR-FL), reduced the sensitivities to taxanes in LNCaP cells. Treatment with taxanes inhibited the transcriptional activity of AR-FL, but not those of AR-Vs. This could be explained, at least in part, due to the inability of taxanes to block the nuclear translocation of AR-Vs. Through a series of deletion constructs, the microtubule-binding activity was mapped to the LBD of AR. Finally, taxane-induced cytoplasm sequestration of AR-FL was alleviated when AR-Vs were present. These findings provide evidence that constitutively active AR-Vs maintain the AR signaling axis by evading the inhibitory effects of microtubule-targeting agents, suggesting that these AR-Vs play a role in resistance to taxane chemotherapy. PMID:26160840

Allelic Prevalence of ABO Blood Group Genes in Iranian Azari Population.

PubMed

Nojavan, Mohammad; Shamsasenjan, Karrim; Movassaghpour, Ali Akbar; Akbarzadehlaleh, Parvin; Torabi, Seyd Esmail; Ghojazadeh, Morteza

2012-01-01

ABO blood group system is the most important blood group in transfusion and has been widely used in population studies. Several molecular techniques for ABO allele's detection are widely used for distinguishing various alleles of glycosyl transferase locus on chromosome 9. 744 randomly selected samples from Azari donors of East Azerbaijan province (Iran) were examined using well-adjusted multiplex allele- specific PCR ABO genotyping technique. The results were consistent for all individuals. The ABO blood group genotype of 744 healthy Azari blood donors was: 25.8% AA/AO (2), 7.6% AO (1), 1.6% BB, 11.3% B0 (1), 10% AB, 9.3% 0(1)0(1) and 15.3%0(1)0(2). The highest genotype frequency belonged to O01/O02 genotype (15.3%) and the lowest frequency belonged to A101/A102 genotype (0.4%). The frequencies of ABO alleles didn't show significant differences between East Azerbaijan province population and that of other areas of the country. Meanwhile, statistical analysis of frequencies of A and B alleles between East Azerbaijan province population and neighbor countries showed significant differences whereas the frequency of allele O between them did not show significant difference (P>0.05). The frequencies of ABO alleles didn't show significant differences between East Azerbaijan province population and that of other areas of the country. Meanwhile, statistical analysis of frequencies of A and B alleles between East Azerbaijan province population and neighbor countries showed significant differences whereas the frequency of allele O between them did not show significant difference (P>0.05).

Forensic applicability of multi-allelic InDels with mononucleotide homopolymer structures.

PubMed

Zhang, Shu; Zhu, Qiang; Chen, Xiaogang; Zhao, Yuancun; Zhao, Xiaohong; Yang, Yiwen; Gao, Zehua; Fang, Ting; Wang, Yufang; Zhang, Ji

2018-04-27

Insertion/deletion polymorphisms (InDels), which possess the characteristics of low mutation rates and a short amplicon size, have been regarded as promising markers for forensic DNA analysis. InDels can be classified as bi-allelic or multi-allelic, depending on the number of alleles. Many studies have explored the use of bi-allelic InDels in forensic applications, such as individual identification and ancestry inference. However, multi-allelic InDels have received relatively little attention. In this study, InDels with 2-6 alleles and a minor allele frequency ≥0.01, in Chinese Southern Han (CHS), were retrieved from the 1000 Genomes Project Phase III. Based on the structural analysis of all retrieved InDels, 17 multi-allelic markers with mononucleotide homopolymer structures were selected and combined in one multiplex PCR reaction system. Sensitivity, species specificity and applicability in forensic case work of the multiplex were analyzed. A total of 218 unrelated individuals from a Chinese Han population were genotyped. The combined discriminatory power (CDP), the combined match probability (CMP) and the cumulative probability of exclusion (CPE) were 0.9999999999609, 3.91E-13 and 0.9956, respectively. The results demonstrated that this InDel multiplex panel was highly informative in the investigated population and most of the 26 populations of the 1000 Genomes Project. The data also suggested that multi-allelic InDel markers with monomeric base pair expansions are useful for forensic applications. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

CYP3A4 allelic variants with amino acid substitutions in exons 7 and 12: evidence for an allelic variant with altered catalytic activity.

PubMed

Sata, F; Sapone, A; Elizondo, G; Stocker, P; Miller, V P; Zheng, W; Raunio, H; Crespi, C L; Gonzalez, F J

2000-01-01

To determine the existence of mutant and variant CgammaP3A4 alleles in three racial groups and to assess functions of the variant alleles by complementary deoxyribonucleic acid (cDNA) expression. A bacterial artificial chromosome that contains the complete CgammaP3A4 gene was isolated and the exons and surrounding introns were directly sequenced to develop primers to polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplify and sequence the gene from lymphocyte DNA. DNA samples from Chinese, black, and white subjects were screened. Mutating the affected amino acid in the wild-type cDNA and expressing the variant enzyme with use of the baculovirus system was used to functionally evaluate the variant allele having a missense mutation. To investigate the existence of mutant and variant CgammaP3A4 alleles in humans, all 13 exons and the 5'-flanking region of the human CgammaP3A4 gene in three racial groups were sequenced and four alleles were identified. An A-->G point mutation in the 5'-flanking region of the human CgammaP3A4 gene, designated CgammaP3A4*1B, was found in the three different racial groups. The frequency of this allele in a white population was 4.2%, whereas it was 66.7% in black subjects. The CgammaP3A4*1B allele was not found in Chinese subjects. A second variant allele, designated CgammaP3A4*2, having a Ser222Pro change, was found at a frequency of 2.7% in the white population and was absent in the black subjects and Chinese subjects analyzed. Baculovirus-directed cDNA expression revealed that the CYP3A4*2 P450 had a lower intrinsic clearance for the CYP3A4 substrate nifedipine compared with the wild-type enzyme but was not significantly different from the wild-type enzyme for testosterone 6beta-hydroxylation. Another rare allele, designated CgammaP3A4*3, was found in a single Chinese subject who had a Met445Thr change in the conserved heme-binding region of the P450. These are the first examples of potential function polymorphisms resulting from missense mutations in

Tracking the timing of subduction and exhumation using 40Ar/39Ar phengite ages in blueschist- and eclogite-facies rocks (Sivrihisar, Turkey)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fornash, Katherine F.; Cosca, Michael A.; Whitney, Donna L.

2016-07-01

Geochronologic studies of high-pressure/low-temperature rocks can be used to determine the timing and rates of burial and exhumation in subduction zones by dating different stages of the pressure-temperature history. In this study, we present new in situ UV laser ablation 40Ar/39Ar phengite ages from a suite of lawsonite blueschist- and eclogite-facies rocks representing different protoliths (metabasalt, metasediment), different structural levels (within and outside of a high-strain zone), and different textural positions (eclogite pod core vs. margin) to understand the timing of these events in an exhumed Neo-Tethyan subduction zone (Sivrihisar Massif, Tavşanlı Zone, Turkey). Weighted mean in situ 40Ar/39Ar ages of phengite from the cores of lawsonite eclogite pods (90-93 Ma) are distinctly older than phengite from retrogressed, epidote eclogite (82 ± 2 Ma). These ages are interpreted as the age of peak and retrograde metamorphism, respectively. Eclogite records the narrowest range of ages (10-14 m.y.) of any rock type analyzed. Transitional eclogite- and blueschist-facies assemblages and glaucophane-rimmed lawsonite + garnet + phengite veins from eclogite pod margins record a much wider age range of 40Ar/39Ar ages (~20 m.y.) with weighted mean ages of ~91 Ma. Blueschists and quartzites record more variable 40Ar/39Ar ages that may in part be related to structural position: samples within a high-strain zone at the tectonic contact of the HP rocks with a meta-ultramafic unit have in situ UV laser ablation 40Ar/39Ar ages of 84.0 ± 1.3-103.7 ± 3.1 Ma, whereas samples outside this zone range to older ages (84.6 ± 2.4-116.7 ± 2.7 Ma) and record a greater age range (22-38 m.y.). The phengite ages can be correlated with the preservation of HP mineral assemblages and fabrics as well as the effects of deformation. Collectively, these results show that high-spatial resolution UV laser ablation 40Ar/39Ar phengite data, when considered in a petrologic and structural

A composite microdose Adaptive Response (AR) and Bystander Effect (BE) model-application to low LET and high LET AR and BE data.

PubMed

Leonard, Bobby E

2008-08-01

It has been suggested that Adaptive Response (AR) may reduce risk of adverse health effects due to ionizing radiation. But very low dose Bystander Effects (BE) may impose dominant deleterious human risks. These conflicting behaviors have stimulated controversy regarding the Linear No-Threshold human risk model. A dose and dose rate-dependent microdose model, to examine AR behavior, was developed in prior work. In the prior work a number of in vitro and in vivo dose response data were examined with the model. Recent new data show AR behavior with some evidence of very low dose BE. The purpose of this work is to supplement the microdose model to encompass the Brenner and colleagues BaD (Bystander and Direct Damage) model and apply this composite model to obtain new knowledge regarding AR and BE and illustrate the use of the model to plan radio-biology experiments. The biophysical composite AR and BE Microdose Model quantifies the accumulation of hits (Poisson distributed, microdose specific energy depositions) to cell nucleus volumes. This new composite AR and BE model provides predictions of dose response at very low dose BE levels, higher dose AR levels and even higher dose Direct (linear-quadratic) Damage radiation levels. We find good fits of the model to both BE data from the Columbia University microbeam facility and combined AR and BE data for low Linear Energy Transfer (LET) and high LET data. A Bystander Factor of about 27,000 and an AR protection factor of 0.61 are obtained for the low LET in vivo mouse spleen exposures. A Bystander Factor of 317 and an AR protection factor of 0.53 are obtained for high LET radon alpha particles in human lymphocytes. In both cases the AR is activated at most by one or two radiation induced charged particle traversals through the cell nucleus. The results of the model analysis is consistent with a premise that both Bystander damage and Adaptive Response radioprotection can occur in the same cell type, derived from the same

The Berkeley Instrumental Neutron Generator (BINGE) for 40Ar/39Ar geochronology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Renne, P. R.; Becker, T. A.; Bernstein, L.; Firestone, R. B.; Kirsch, L.; Leung, K. N.; Rogers, A.; Van Bibber, K.; Waltz, C.

2014-12-01

The Berkeley Instrumental Neutron Generator (BINGE) facility is the product of a consortium involving the Berkeley Geochronology Center (BGC), the U.C. Berkeley Nuclear Engineering Dept. (UCB/NE), and Lawrence Berkeley (LBNL) and Lawrence Livermore (LLNL) National Labs. BINGE was initially designed (and funded by NSF) for 40Ar/39Ar geochronology. BINGE uses a plasma-based deuteron ion source and a self-loading Ti-surfaced target to induce deuteron-deuterium (DD) fusion via the reaction 2H(d,n)3He, producing 2.45 MeV neutrons. The limited neutron energy spectrum is aimed at reducing recoil effects, interfering nuclear reactions, and unwanted radioactive byproducts, all of which are undesirable consequences of conventional irradiation with 235U fission spectrum neutrons. Minimization of interfering reactions such as 40Ca(n,na)36Ar greatly reduces penalties for over-irradiation, enabling improved signal/background measurement of e.g. 39Ar. BINGE will also be used for a variety of nuclear physics and engineering experiments that require a high flux of monoenergetic neutrons. Neutron energies lower than 2.45 MeV can be obtained via irradiation ports within and external to polyethylene shielding. Initial commissioning produced a neutron flux of 108 n/sec/cm2 at 1 mA source current and 100 kV anode voltage, as expected. When scaled up to the 1 A source current as planned, this indicates that BINGE will achieve the design objective neutron flux of 1011 n/sec/cm2. Further progress towards this goal will be reported. Supported by NSF (grant #EAR-0960138), BGC, UCB/NE, University of California Office of the President, and DOE through LLNL under contract #DE-AC52-07NA27344 and LBNL under contract #DE-AC02-05CH11231.

Therapeutic targeting of sunitinib-induced AR phosphorylation in renal cell carcinoma.

PubMed

Adelaiye-Ogala, Remi; Damayanti, Nur P; Orillion, Ashley R; Arisa, Sreevani; Chintala, Sreenivasulu; Titus, Mark A; Kao, Chinghai; Pili, Roberto

2018-03-23

Androgen receptor (AR) plays a crucial role in the development and progression of prostate cancer. AR expression has also been reported in other solid tumors, including renal cell carcinoma (RCC), but its biological role here remains unclear. Through integrative analysis of a reverse phase protein array (RPPA), we discovered increased expression of AR in an RCC patient-derived xenograft model of acquired resistance to the receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor (RTKi) sunitinib. AR expression was increased in RCC cell lines with either acquired or intrinsic sunitinib resistance in vitro. An AR signaling gene array profiler indicated elevated levels of AR target genes in sunitinib-resistant cells. Sunitinib-induced AR transcriptional activity was associated with increased phosphorylation of serine 81 (pS81) on AR. Additionally, AR overexpression resulted in acquired sunitinib resistance, and the AR antagonist enzalutamide-induced AR degradation and attenuated AR downstream activity in sunitinib-resistant cells, also indicated by decreased secretion of human kallikrein 2 (KLK2). Enzalutamide-induced AR degradation was rescued by either proteasome inhibition or by knockdown of the AR ubiquitin ligase speckle-type POZ protein (SPOP). In vivo treatment with enzalutamide and sunitinib demonstrated that this combination efficiently induced tumor regression in an RCC model following acquired sunitinib resistance. Overall, our results suggest the potential role of AR as a target for therapeutic interventions, in combination with RTKi, to overcome drug resistance in RCC. Copyright ©2018, American Association for Cancer Research.

Allelic-based gene-gene interaction associated with quantitative traits.

PubMed

Jung, Jeesun; Sun, Bin; Kwon, Deukwoo; Koller, Daniel L; Foroud, Tatiana M

2009-05-01

Recent studies have shown that quantitative phenotypes may be influenced not only by multiple single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within a gene but also by the interaction between SNPs at unlinked genes. We propose a new statistical approach that can detect gene-gene interactions at the allelic level which contribute to the phenotypic variation in a quantitative trait. By testing for the association of allelic combinations at multiple unlinked loci with a quantitative trait, we can detect the SNP allelic interaction whether or not it can be detected as a main effect. Our proposed method assigns a score to unrelated subjects according to their allelic combination inferred from observed genotypes at two or more unlinked SNPs, and then tests for the association of the allelic score with a quantitative trait. To investigate the statistical properties of the proposed method, we performed a simulation study to estimate type I error rates and power and demonstrated that this allelic approach achieves greater power than the more commonly used genotypic approach to test for gene-gene interaction. As an example, the proposed method was applied to data obtained as part of a candidate gene study of sodium retention by the kidney. We found that this method detects an interaction between the calcium-sensing receptor gene (CaSR), the chloride channel gene (CLCNKB) and the Na, K, 2Cl cotransporter gene (CLC12A1) that contributes to variation in diastolic blood pressure.

A generic interface element for COMET-AR

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mccleary, Susan L.; Aminpour, Mohammad A.

1995-01-01

The implementation of an interface element capability within the COMET-AR software system is described. The report is intended for use by both users of currently implemented interface elements and developers of new interface element formulations. Guidance on the use of COMET-AR is given. A glossary is provided as an Appendix to this report for readers unfamiliar with the jargon of COMET-AR. A summary of the currently implemented interface element formulation is presented in Section 7.3 of this report.

The ChArMEx database

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferré, Hélène; Belmahfoud, Nizar; Boichard, Jean-Luc; Brissebrat, Guillaume; Cloché, Sophie; Descloitres, Jacques; Fleury, Laurence; Focsa, Loredana; Henriot, Nicolas; Mière, Arnaud; Ramage, Karim; Vermeulen, Anne; Boulanger, Damien

2015-04-01

The Chemistry-Aerosol Mediterranean Experiment (ChArMEx, http://charmex.lsce.ipsl.fr/) aims at a scientific assessment of the present and future state of the atmospheric environment in the Mediterranean Basin, and of its impacts on the regional climate, air quality, and marine biogeochemistry. The project includes long term monitoring of environmental parameters , intensive field campaigns, use of satellite data and modelling studies. Therefore ChARMEx scientists produce and need to access a wide diversity of data. In this context, the objective of the database task is to organize data management, distribution system and services, such as facilitating the exchange of information and stimulating the collaboration between researchers within the ChArMEx community, and beyond. The database relies on a strong collaboration between ICARE, IPSL and OMP data centers and has been set up in the framework of the Mediterranean Integrated Studies at Regional And Locals Scales (MISTRALS) program data portal. ChArMEx data, either produced or used by the project, are documented and accessible through the database website: http://mistrals.sedoo.fr/ChArMEx. The website offers the usual but user-friendly functionalities: data catalog, user registration procedure, search tool to select and access data... The metadata (data description) are standardized, and comply with international standards (ISO 19115-19139; INSPIRE European Directive; Global Change Master Directory Thesaurus). A Digital Object Identifier (DOI) assignement procedure allows to automatically register the datasets, in order to make them easier to access, cite, reuse and verify. At present, the ChArMEx database contains about 120 datasets, including more than 80 in situ datasets (2012, 2013 and 2014 summer campaigns, background monitoring station of Ersa...), 25 model output sets (dust model intercomparison, MEDCORDEX scenarios...), a high resolution emission inventory over the Mediterranean... Many in situ datasets

The Maintenance of Single-Locus Polymorphism. IV. Models with Mutation from Existing Alleles

PubMed Central

Spencer, H. G.; Marks, R. W.

1992-01-01

The ability of viability selection to maintain allelic polymorphism is investigated using a constructionist approach. In extensions to the models we have previously proposed, a population is bombarded with a series of mutations whose fitnesses in conjunction with other alleles are functions of the corresponding fitnesses with a particular allele, the parent allele, already in the population. Allele frequencies are iterated simultaneously, thus allowing alleles to be driven to extinction by selection. Such models allow very high levels of polymorphism to evolve: up to 38 alleles in one case. Alleles that are lethal as homozygotes can evolve to surprisingly high frequencies. The joint evolution of allele frequencies and viabilities highlights the necessity to consider more than the current morphology of a population. Comparisons are made with the neutral theory of evolution and it is suggested that failure to reject neutrality using the Ewens-Watterson test cannot be regarded as evidence for the neutral theory. PMID:1732162

The maintenance of single-locus polymorphism. IV. Models with mutation from existing alleles.

PubMed

Spencer, H G; Marks, R W

1992-01-01

The ability of viability selection to maintain allelic polymorphism is investigated using a constructionist approach. In extensions to the models we have previously proposed, a population is bombarded with a series of mutations whose fitnesses in conjunction with other alleles are functions of the corresponding fitnesses with a particular allele, the parent allele, already in the population. Allele frequencies are iterated simultaneously, thus allowing alleles to be driven to extinction by selection. Such models allow very high levels of polymorphism to evolve: up to 38 alleles in one case. Alleles that are lethal as homozygotes can evolve to surprisingly high frequencies. The joint evolution of allele frequencies and viabilities highlights the necessity to consider more than the current morphology of a population. Comparisons are made with the neutral theory of evolution and it is suggested that failure to reject neutrality using the Ewens-Watterson test cannot be regarded as evidence for the neutral theory.

Independent regulation of the two Pax5 alleles during B-cell development.

PubMed

Nutt, S L; Vambrie, S; Steinlein, P; Kozmik, Z; Rolink, A; Weith, A; Busslinger, M

1999-04-01

The developmental control genes of the Pax family are frequently associated with mouse mutants and human disease syndromes. The function of these transcription factors is sensitive to gene dosage, as mutation of one allele or a modest increase in gene number results in phenotypic abnormalities. Pax5 has an important role in B-cell and midbrain development. By following the expression of individual Pax5 alleles at the single-cell level, we demonstrate here that Pax5 is subject to allele-specific regulation during B-lymphopoiesis. Pax5 is predominantly transcribed from only one allele in early progenitors and mature B cells, whereas it switches to a biallelic transcription mode in immature B cells. The allele-specific regulation of Pax5 is stochastic, reversible, independent of parental origin and correlates with synchronous replication, in contrast with imprinted and other monoallelically expressed genes. As a consequence, B-lymphoid tissues are mosaics with respect to the transcribed Pax5 allele, and thus mutation of one allele in heterozygous mice results in deletion of the cell population expressing the mutant allele due to loss of Pax5 function at the single-cell level. Similar allele-specific regulation may be a common mechanism causing the haploinsufficiency and frequent association of other Pax genes with human disease.

40Ar/39Ar geochronology of subaerial lava flows of Barren Island volcano and the deep crust beneath the Andaman Island Arc, Burma Microplate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ray, Jyotiranjan S.; Pande, Kanchan; Bhutani, Rajneesh

2015-06-01

Little was known about the nature and origin of the deep crust beneath the Andaman Island Arc in spite of the fact that it formed part of the highly active Indonesian volcanic arc system, one of the important continental crust forming regions in Southeast Asia. This arc, formed as a result of subduction of the Indian Plate beneath the Burma Microplate (a sliver of the Eurasian Plate), contains only one active subaerial magmatic center, Barren Island volcano, whose evolutional timeline had remained uncertain. In this work, we present results of the first successful attempt to date crustal xenoliths and their host lava flows from the island, by incremental heating 40Ar/39Ar method, in an attempt to understand the evolutionary histories of the volcano and its basement. Based on concordant plateau and isochron ages, we establish that the oldest subaerial lava flows of the volcano are 1.58 ± 0.04 (2σ) Ma, and some of the plagioclase xenocrysts have been derived from crustal rocks of 106 ± 3 (2σ) Ma. Mineralogy (anorthite + Cr-rich diopside + minor olivine) and isotopic compositions (87Sr/86Sr < 0.7040; ɛNd > 7.0) of xenoliths not only indicate their derivation from a lower (oceanic) crustal olivine gabbro but also suggest a genetic relationship between the arc crust and the ophiolitic basement of the Andaman accretionary prism. We speculate that the basements of the forearc and volcanic arc of the Andaman subduction zone belong to a single continuous unit that was once attached to the western margin of the Eurasian Plate.

40Ar/39Ar chronology and paleomagnetism of Quaternary basaltic lavas from the Perşani Mountains (East Carpathians)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Panaiotu, C. G.; Jicha, B. R.; Singer, B. S.; Ţugui, A.; Seghedi, I.; Panaiotu, A. G.; Necula, C.

2013-08-01

Quaternary volcanism in the Perşani Mountains forms an Na-alkali basaltic province inside the bend area of the Carpathians in the southeastern part of Europe. Previous K-Ar ages and paleomagnetic data reveal several transitional virtual geomagnetic poles, which were tentatively associated with the Cobb Mountain subchron and a Brunhes chron excursion. We report a new paleomagnetic and rock-magnetic study coupled with 40Ar/39Ar geochronology to better constrain the age of geomagnetic reversals or excursions that might be recorded and the timing of volcanism. Of the paleomagnetic directions obtained from sampled lava flows 4 are reversed polarity, 19 are normal polarity and 16 have transitional polarity. 40Ar/39Ar plateau ages determined from incremental heating experiments on groundmass indicate that two of the reversely magnetized lavas erupted at 1142 ± 41 and 800 ± 25 ka, four of the normally magnetized lavas erupted at 1060 ± 10, 1062 ± 24, 684 ± 21, and 683 ± 28 ka, and two transitionally magnetized lavas formed at 1221 ± 11 and 799 ± 21 ka. Both the new 40Ar/39Ar ages and the paleomagnetic data suggest at least five episodes of volcanic activity with the most active periods during the Jaramillo and Brunhes chrons. This results shows that the last phases of alkalic and calc-alkaline magmatism in the South-East Carpathians were contemporaneous. The age of the older transitionally magnetized lava flow is within error of recent unspiked K-Ar and astrochronologic ages for the reversal that defines the onset of the Cobb Mountain normal polarity subchron. The age of the younger transitional lava is similar to that of an excursion that preceded the Matuyama-Brunhes polarity reversal and which has come to be known as the Matuyama-Brunhes precursor. Omitting the excursion data, the dispersion of the virtual geomagnetic poles (around 19°) is larger than the expected value around 45°N from the global compilation, but closer to the value obtained only from the

A compilation of K-Ar-ages for southern California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Miller, Fred K.; Morton, Douglas M.; Morton, Janet L.; Miller, David M.

2014-01-01

The purpose of this report is to make available a large body of conventional K-Ar ages for granitic, volcanic, and metamorphic rocks collected in southern California. Although one interpretive map is included, the report consists primarily of a systematic listing, without discussion or interpretation, of published and unpublished ages that may be of value in future regional and other geologic studies. From 1973 to 1979, 468 rock samples from southern California were collected for conventional K-Ar dating under a regional geologic mapping project of Southern California (predecessor of the Southern California Areal Mapping Project). Most samples were collected and dated between 1974 and 1977. For 61 samples (13 percent of those collected), either they were discarded for varying reasons, or the original collection data were lost. For the remaining samples, 518 conventional K-Ar ages are reported here; coexisting mineral pairs were dated from many samples. Of these K-Ar ages, 225 are previously unpublished, and identified as such in table 1. All K-Ar ages are by conventional K-Ar analysis; no 40Ar/39Ar dating was done. Subsequent to the rock samples collected in the 1970s and reported here, 33 samples were collected and 38 conventional K-Ar ages determined under projects directed at (1) characterization of the Mesozoic and Cenozoic igneous rocks in and on both sides of the Transverse Ranges and (2) clarifying the Mesozoic and Cenozoic tectonics of the eastern Mojave Desert. Although previously published (Beckerman et al., 1982), another eight samples and 11 conventional K-Ar ages are included here, because they augment those completed under the previous two projects.

ASSORTATIVE MATING CAN IMPEDE OR FACILITATE FIXATION OF UNDERDOMINANT ALLELES

PubMed Central

NEWBERRY, MITCHELL G; MCCANDLISH, DAVID M; PLOTKIN, JOSHUA B

2017-01-01

Underdominant mutations have fixed between divergent species, yet classical models suggest that rare underdominant alleles are purged quickly except in small or subdivided populations. We predict that underdominant alleles that also influence mate choice, such as those affecting coloration patterns visible to mates and predators alike, can fix more readily. We analyze a mechanistic model of positive assortative mating in which individuals have n chances to sample compatible mates. This one-parameter model naturally spans random mating (n =1) and complete assortment (n → ∞), yet it produces sexual selection whose strength depends non-monotonically on n. This sexual selection interacts with viability selection to either inhibit or facilitate fixation. As mating opportunities increase, underdominant alleles fix as frequently as neutral mutations, even though sexual selection and underdominance independently each suppress rare alleles. This mechanism allows underdominant alleles to fix in large populations and illustrates how life history can affect evolutionary change. PMID:27497738

Assortative mating can impede or facilitate fixation of underdominant alleles.

PubMed

Newberry, Mitchell G; McCandlish, David M; Plotkin, Joshua B

2016-12-01

Underdominant mutations have fixed between divergent species, yet classical models suggest that rare underdominant alleles are purged quickly except in small or subdivided populations. We predict that underdominant alleles that also influence mate choice, such as those affecting coloration patterns visible to mates and predators alike, can fix more readily. We analyze a mechanistic model of positive assortative mating in which individuals have n chances to sample compatible mates. This one-parameter model naturally spans random mating (n=1) and complete assortment (n→∞), yet it produces sexual selection whose strength depends non-monotonically on n. This sexual selection interacts with viability selection to either inhibit or facilitate fixation. As mating opportunities increase, underdominant alleles fix as frequently as neutral mutations, even though sexual selection and underdominance independently each suppress rare alleles. This mechanism allows underdominant alleles to fix in large populations and illustrates how life history can affect evolutionary change. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Mean-Field Approach to Superdeformed High-Spin States in 40CA and Neutron-Rich 50S Regions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Inakura, T.; Yamagami, M.; Matsuyanagi, K.; Mizutori, S.

2003-12-01

With the use of the symmetry-unrestricted cranked SHF method in the 3D coordinate-mesh representation, a systematic search for the SD and HD rotational bands in the N=Z nuclei from 32S to 48Cr has been done, and SD and HD solutions have been found in 32S, 36Ar, 40Ca, 44Ti, and in 36Ar, 40Ca, 44Ti, 48Cr, respectively. The SD band in 40Ca is found to be extremely soft against both the axially symmetric (Y30) and asymmetric (Y31) octupole deformations. Possible presense of SD states in neutron-rich sulfur isotopes from 46S to 52S has also been investigated, and deformation properties of neutron skins both in the ground and SD states are discussed.

40Ar/39Ar ages for the fossil-bearing Gyeongsang Supergroup in South Korea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, S. C.; Hemming, S. R.

2016-12-01

Since the 1970s, abundant vertebrate fossils have been documented from the Cretaceous Gyeongsang Supergroup in the Gyeongsang Basin and some small nearby basins of the Korean Peninsula, including dinosaurs, pterosaurs, crocodilians, turtles and fish. In addition to body fossils, well-preserved dinosaur, bird and pterosaur tracks have been found from these formations. Well-preserved and extensive vertebrate ichnofaunas from the Gyeongsang Supergroup represent the largest known concentration of Cretaceous vertebrate track sites reported from the Asian continent. Determining the age of the Gyeongsang Supergroup is critical to understanding several fundamental questions related to evolution and paleo-biogeography. However, limited radioisotopic studies for the Gyeongsang Supergroup have been previously reported. Additionally, the large uncertainties of previous data and the incomplete stratigraphic description of the samples limit their value for high-resolution chronostratigraphy. In this study, we aim to establish high-precision 40Ar/39Ar ages for two well-known tuffs from the middle and the upper part of the Gyeongsang Supergroup, and one rhyolite from the uppermost Gyeongsang Supergroup. Our preliminary 40Ar/39Ar data for the Kusandong Tuff indicates that the middle part of the Gyeongsang Supergroup is 78-82 Ma. This is consistent with the hypothesized extension of the Jehol biota into Korea and the preliminary results suggest that refinement of the time scale for these strata is a practical goal. The Gyeongsang Supergroup sample has great potential for substantially increasing our knowledge of Mesozoic terrestrial ecosystems.

DRD4 dopamine receptor allelic diversity in various primate species

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Adamson, M.; Higley, D.; O`Brien, S.

The DRD4 dopamine receptor is uniquely characterized by a 48 bp repeating segment within the coding region, located in exon III. Different DRD4 alleles are produced by the presence of additional 48 bp repeats, each of which adds 16 amino acids to the length of the 3rd intracytoplasmic loop of the receptor. The DRD4 receptor is therefore an intriguing candidate gene for behaviors which are influenced by dopamine function. In several human populations, DRD4 alleles with 2-8 and 10 repeats have previously been identified, and the 4 and 7 repeat alleles are the most abundant. We have determined DRD4 genotypesmore » in the following nonhuman primate species: chimpanzee N=2, pygmy chimpanzee N=2, gorilla N=4, siamang N=2, Gelada baboon N=1, gibbon N=1, orangutan (Bornean and Sumatran) N=62, spider monkey N=4, owl monkey N=1, Colobus monkey N=1, Patas monkey N=1, ruffed lemur N=1, rhesus macaque N=8, and vervet monkey N=28. The degree of DRD4 polymorphism and which DRD4 alleles were present both showed considerable variation across primate species. In contrast to the human, rhesus macaque monkeys were monomorphic. The 4 and 7 repeat allels, highly abundant in the human, may not be present in certain other primates. For example, the four spider monkeys we studied showed the 7, 8 and 9 repeat length alleles and the only gibbon we analyzed was homozygous for the 9 repeat allele (thus far not observed in the human). Genotyping of other primate species and sequencing of the individual DRD4 repeat alleles in different species may help us determine the ancestral DRD4 repeat length and identify connections between DRD4 genotype and phenotype.« less

Coeval Ar-40/Ar-39 ages of 65.0 million years ago from Chicxulub crater melt rock and Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary tektites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Swisher, Carl C., III; Grajales-Nishimura, Jose M.; Montanari, Alessandro; Margolis, Stanley V.; Claeys, Philippe; Alvarez, Walter; Renne, Paul; Cedillo-Pardo, Esteban; Maurrasse, Florentin J.-M. R.; Curtis, Garniss H.

1992-01-01

Ar-40/Ar-39 dating of drill-core samples of a glassy melt rock recovered from beneath a massive impact breccia contained with the 180-kilometer subsurface Chicxulub crater yields well-behaved incremental heating spectra with a mean plateau age of 64.98 +/- 0.05 million years ago (Ma). The glassy melt rock of andesitic composition was obtained from core 9 (1390 to 1393 meters) in the Chicxulub 1 well. The age of the melt rock is virtually indistinguishable from Ar-40/Ar-39 ages obtained on tektite glass from Beloc, Haiti, and Arroyo el Mimbral, northeastern Mexico, of 65.01 +/- 0.08 Ma (mean plateau age for Beloc) and 65.07 +/- 0.10 Ma (mean total fusion age for both sites). The Ar-40/Ar-39 ages, in conjunction with geochemical and petrological similarities, strengthen the suggestion that the Chicxulub structure is the source for the Haitian and Mexican tektites and is a viable candidate for the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary impact site.

K-Ar dating and delta O-18-delta D characterization of nanometric illite from Ordovician K-bentonites of the Appalachians: illitization and the Acadian-Alleghenian tectonic activity

USGS Publications Warehouse

Clauer, Norbert; Fallick, Anthony E.; Eberl, Dennis D.; Honty, Miroslav; Huff, Warren D.; Auberti, Amelie

2013-01-01

Nanometric (2 diagram that illitization occurred in all fractions by simultaneous nucleation and crystal growth, except for one sample. In that sample, a period of growth without nucleation was detected on top of the nucleation and growth episode. The K-Ar ages organize into two isochrons, the first at 319.9 ± 2.0 Ma with an initial 40Ar/36Ar ratio of 271 ± 66 Ma, and the second at 284.9 ± 1.2 Ma with an initial 40Ar/36Ar ratio of 310 ± 44. One data point above the older isochron and three between the two isochrons suggest a detrital contamination for the former separate and a possible further generation of nanoparticles for the three others. The samples with the older crystallization age consist of illite and illite-rich mixed-layers, and those with the younger age contain smectite-rich mixed-layers without illite, or illite-enriched illite-smectite mixed-layers. The K-Ar ages fit the age trends published previously for similar K-bentonites with regional age patterns between 240 and 270 Ma in the southwestern region, between 270 and 300 Ma in the central zone and the southern Appalachians, and between 315 and 370 Ma in the northernmost. Each of the two generations of illite crystals yields very consistent δ18O (V-SMOW) values at 17 ± 1‰ for the older and at 21 ± 1‰ for the younger. If crystallization temperatures of the nanometric illite were between 100 and 200 °C, as suggested by microthermometric determinations, the hydrothermal fluids had δ18O values of 4 ± 1‰ in the Dalton district and of 8 ± 1‰ in the Lafayette, Trenton, and Dirtseller districts at 100 °C, and of 11 ± 1 and 15 ± 1‰ in the same locations at 200 °C, probably because the water-rock isotope exchanges at elevated temperature occurred in rock-dominated systems. The δ18O of the fluids remained unchanged during local crystal growth, but varied depending on the geographic location of the samples and timing of illitization. The δD (V-SMOW) values of the different size

Commander Truly cleans ARS filters on middeck

NASA Image and Video Library

1983-09-05

STS008-13-336 (5 Sept 1983) --- On middeck, Richard M. Truly, STS-8 commander, uses vacuum cleaner to remove debris from air revitalization system (ARS) filter assembly. Open panel on middeck floor is the ARS access panel.

Measurement of Isobaric Analogue Resonances of 47Ar with the Active-Target Time Projection Chamber

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bradt, Joshua William

While the nuclear shell model accurately describes the structure of nuclei near stability, the structure of unstable, neutron-rich nuclei is still an area of active research. One region of interest is the set of nuclei near N=28. The shell model suggests that these nuclei should be approximately spherical due to the shell gap predicted by their magic number of neutrons; however, experiments have shown that the nuclei in this region rapidly become deformed as protons are removed from the spherical 48Ca. This makes 46Ar a particularly interesting system as it lies in a transition region between 48Ca and lighter isotones that are known to be deformed. An experiment was performed at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory (NSCL) to measure resonant proton scattering on 46Ar. The resonances observed in this reaction correspond to unbound levels in the 47K intermediate state nucleus which are isobaric analogues of states in the 47Ar nucleus. By measuring the spectroscopic factors of these states in 47Ar, we gain information about the single-particle structure of this system, which is directly related to the size of the N=28 shell gap. Four resonances were observed: one corresponding to the ground state in 47Ar, one corresponding its first excited 1/2- state, and two corresponding to 1/2+ states in either 47Ar or the intermediate state nucleus. However, only a limited amount of information about these states could be recovered due to the low experimental statistics and limited angular resolution caused by pileup rejection and the inability to accurately reconstruct the beam particle track. In addition to the nuclear physics motivations, this experiment served as the radioactive beam commissioning for the Active-Target Time Projection Chamber (AT-TPC). The AT-TPC is a new gas-filled charged particle detector built at the NSCL to measure low-energy radioactive beams from the ReA3 facility. Since the gas inside the detector serves as both the tracking medium and

40Ar/39Ar thermochronology of mesoproterozoic metamorphism in the Colorado Front Range

USGS Publications Warehouse

Shaw, C.A.; Snee, L.W.; Selverstone, J.; Reed, J.C.

1999-01-01

A low-pressure metamorphic episode in the Colorado Front Range has been identified by the presence of staurolite, andalusite, cordierite, and garnet porphyroblasts overprinting earlier assemblages. The overprinting assemblages and reaction textures are most consistent with porphyroblast growth on a prograde metamorphic path with peak temperatures exceeding ~525??C. Twenty-eight 40Ar/39Ar dates on hornblende, muscovite, biotite, and microcline were used to infer the age and thermal conditions of metamorphism. Muscovite and biotite 40Ar/39Ar ages fall mainly in the interval 1400-1340 Ma, consistent with cooling through the closure temperature interval of micas (~400??-300??C) after about 1400 Ma. In contrast, hornblende apparent ages (T(c)~500??-550??C) between 1600 and 1390 Ma reflect variable retention of radiogenic argon. Forward modeling of argon diffusion shows that the distribution of hornblende and mica ages is consistent with the partial resetting of argon systematics ca. 1400 Ma by a thermal pulse reaching maximum temperatures around 550??C and decaying within <20 m.yr. These temperatures match the conditions inferred from the overprinting assemblage; thus, muscovite and biotite ages are interpreted to date the cooling phase of this metamorphic event. This late metamorphism is broadly coeval with the intrusion of ca. 1400-Ma granitic plutons in the study area and throughout the southwestern United States. However, thermal effects are observed far from pluton margins, suggesting pervasive, regional crustal heating rather than restricted contact metamorphism. Our results suggest that ca. 1400-Ma metamorphism and plutonism are manifestations of a regional thermal episode that both partially melted the lower crust and pervasively metamorphosed middle crustal rocks.

endAFS, a novel family E endoglucanase gene from Fibrobacter succinogenes AR1.

PubMed Central

Cavicchioli, R; East, P D; Watson, K

1991-01-01

The complete nucleotide sequence of endAFS, an endoglucanase gene isolated from the ruminal anaerobe Fibrobacter succinogenes AR1, was determined. endAFS encodes two overlapping open reading frames (ORF1 and ORF2), and it was proposed that a -1 ribosomal frameshift was required to allow contiguous synthesis of a 453-amino-acid endoglucanase. A proline- and threonine-rich region at the C terminus of ORF1 and rare codons for arginine and threonine were coincident with the proposed frameshift site. ENDAFS is proposed to be a member of subgroup 1 of family E endoglucanases, of which endoglucanases from Thermomonospora fusca and Persea americana (avocado) are also members. Endoglucanases from Clostridium thermocellum and Pseudomonas fluorescens form subgroup 2. Images PMID:1708767

40Ar/39Ar Dating of Zn-Pb-Ag Mineralization in the Northern Brooks Range, Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Werdon, Melanie B.; Layer, Paul W.; Newberry, Rainer J.

2004-01-01

The 40Ar/39Ar laser step-heating method potentially can be used to provide absolute ages for a number of formerly undatable, low-temperature ore deposits. This study demonstrates the use of this method by determining absolute ages for Zn-Pb-Ag sediment-hosted massive sulfide deposits and vein-breccia occurrences found throughout a 300-km-long, east-west-trending belt in the northern Brooks Range, Alaska. Massive sulfide deposits are hosted by Mississippian to Pennsylvanian(?) black carbonaceous shale, siliceous mudstone, and lesser chert and carbonate turbidites of the Kuna Formation (e.g., Red Dog, Anarraaq, Lik (Su), and Drenchwater). The vein-breccia occurrences (e.g., Husky, Story Creek, West Kivliktort Mountain, Vidlee, and Kady) are hosted by a deformed but only weakly metamorphosed package of Upper Devonian to Lower Mississippian mixed continental and marine clastic rocks (the Endicott Group) that stratigraphically underlie the Kuna Formation. The vein-breccias are mineralogically similar to, but not spatially associated with, known massive sulfide deposits. The region's largest shale-hosted massive sulfide deposit is Red Dog; it has reserves of 148 Mt grading 16.6 percent zinc, 4.5 percent lead, and 77 g of silver per tonne. Hydrothermally produced white mica in a whole-rock sample from a sulfide-bearing igneous sill within the Red Dog deposit yielded a plateau age of 314.5 Ma. The plateau age of this whole-rock sample records the time at which temperatures cooled below the argon closure temperature of the white mica and is interpreted to represent the minimum age limit for massive sulfide-related hydrothermal activity in the Red Dog deposit. Sulfide-bearing quartz veins at Drenchwater crosscut a hypabyssal intrusion with a maximum biotite age of 337.0 Ma. Despite relatively low sulfide deposition temperatures in the vein-breccia occurrences (162°-251°C), detrital white mica in sandstone immediately adjacent to large vein-breccia zones was partially to

40Ar/39Ar mica ages from marble mylonites: a cautionary tale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rogowitz, Anna; Huet, Benjamin; Schneider, David; Grasemann, Bernhard

2014-05-01

40Ar/39Ar geochronology on white mica is a popular method to date deformation under moderate (brittle-ductile) temperatures. In particular, deformation events preserved in greenschist facies shear zones have been successfully dated with this method. A consequence of strain localization in many tectonic settings that bear calcitic marbles is the formation of marble mylonites and ultramylonites. Little is known, however, about the behaviour of the K/Ar systems and the influence of deformation on the ages in such rocks. We studied an extremely localized shear zone (2 cm thick) in marble from Syros (Cyclades, Greece) and performed microstructural, chemical and isotopic analysis on samples from the host rock and the shear zone. The host rock is composed of coarse-grained (300 µm) calcite with only minor undulatory extinction and slightly curved grain boundaries. This initial large grain size is likely to have formed during the Eocene high-pressure - low-temperature event that is well documented in the Cyclades. In contrast, the marble within the shear zone shows evidence of strong intracrystalline deformation and recrystallization resulting in grain size reduction and the formation of an ultramylonite. Both microstructures and kinematics are consistent with the low grade evolution described on Syros. White mica (100's microns in size) are preferentially orientated parallel to the foliation. In both samples there is no clear evidence for crystal plastic deformation of the mica grains. Bigger grains behave brittle resulting in grain size reduction. A deformation mechanism map for calcite at 300 °C indicates that the host rock deformed at strain rates of around 10-12.5 s-1 whereas within the shear zone strain rates of up to 10-9.5 s-1 are attained. We performed laser-heating 40Ar/39Ar analysis on white mica located in the host rock and the shear zone. The low-strain host rock yielded a ca. 40 Ma age, and the shear zone recorded a ca. 37 Ma age; both ages are

Chromosomal context and replication properties of ARS plasmids in Schizosaccharomyces pombe.

PubMed

Pratihar, Aditya S; Tripathi, Vishnu P; Yadav, Mukesh P; Dubey, Dharani D

2015-12-01

Short, specific DNA sequences called as Autonomously Replicating Sequence (ARS) elements function as plasmid as well as chromosomal replication origins in yeasts. As compared to ARSs, different chromosomal origins vary greatly in their efficiency and timing of replication probably due to their wider chromosomal context. The two Schizosaccharomyces pombe ARS elements, ars727 and ars2004, represent two extremities in their chromosomal origin activity - ars727 is inactive and late replicating, while ars2004 is a highly active, early-firing origin. To determine the effect of chromosomal context on the activity of these ARS elements, we have cloned them with their extended chromosomal context as well as in the context of each other in both orientations and analysed their replication efficiency by ARS and plasmid stability assays. We found that these ARS elements retain their origin activity in their extended/altered context. However, deletion of a 133-bp region of the previously reported ars727- associated late replication enforcing element (LRE) caused advancement in replication timing of the resulting plasmid. These results confirm the role of LRE in directing plasmid replication timing and suggest that the plasmid origin efficiency of ars2004 or ars727 remains unaltered by the extended chromosomal context.

Noninvasive Detection of AR-FL/AR-V7 as a Predictive Biomarker for Therapeutic Resistance in Men with Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-10-01

AWARD NUMBER: W81XWH-15-2-0052 TITLE: Noninvasive Detection of AR -FL/ AR -V7 as a Predictive Biomarker for Therapeutic Resistance in Men with...DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT: Distribution Statement A: unlimited distribution The views, opinions and/or findings contained in this report are those of the...COVERED 30 Sep 2015 - 29 Sep 2016 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Noninvasive Detection of AR -FL/ AR -V7 as a Predictive Biomarker for Therapeutic Resistance in

Tracking the timing of subduction and exhumation using 40Ar/39Ar phengite ages in blueschist- and eclogite-facies rocks (Sivrihisar, Turkey)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fornash, Katherine F.; Cosca, Michael A.; Whitney, Donna L.

2016-01-01

Geochronologic studies of high-pressure/low-temperature rocks can be used to determine the timing and rates of burial and exhumation in subduction zones by dating different stages of the pressure–temperature history. In this study, we present new in situ UV laser ablation 40Ar/39Ar phengite ages from a suite of lawsonite blueschist- and eclogite-facies rocks representing different protoliths (metabasalt, metasediment), different structural levels (within and outside of a high-strain zone), and different textural positions (eclogite pod core vs. margin) to understand the timing of these events in an exhumed Neo-Tethyan subduction zone (Sivrihisar Massif, Tavşanlı Zone, Turkey). Weighted mean in situ 40Ar/39Ar ages of phengite from the cores of lawsonite eclogite pods (90–93 Ma) are distinctly older than phengite from retrogressed, epidote eclogite (82 ± 2 Ma). These ages are interpreted as the age of peak and retrograde metamorphism, respectively. Eclogite records the narrowest range of ages (10–14 m.y.) of any rock type analyzed. Transitional eclogite- and blueschist-facies assemblages and glaucophane-rimmed lawsonite + garnet + phengite veins from eclogite pod margins record a much wider age range of 40Ar/39Ar ages (~20 m.y.) with weighted mean ages of ~91 Ma. Blueschists and quartzites record more variable 40Ar/39Ar ages that may in part be related to structural position: samples within a high-strain zone at the tectonic contact of the HP rocks with a meta-ultramafic unit have in situ UV laser ablation 40Ar/39Ar ages of 84.0 ± 1.3–103.7 ± 3.1 Ma, whereas samples outside this zone range to older ages (84.6 ± 2.4–116.7 ± 2.7 Ma) and record a greater age range (22–38 m.y.). The phengite ages can be correlated with the preservation of HP mineral assemblages and fabrics as well as the effects of deformation. Collectively, these results show that high-spatial resolution UV laser ablation 40Ar/39Ar phengite data, when considered

Regulation of AR Degradation and Function by Ubiquitylation

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-10-01

ubiquitylation and degradation remain to be established. Newly synthesized AR associates with an HSP90 chaperone complex, and an HSP90 associated E3 ubiquitin ...clearly additional cytoplasmic and/or nuclear ubiquitin ligases that regulate the normal turnover and degradation of the liganded AR. Indeed, multiple... ubiquitin ligases have been reported to interact with AR and regulate its transcriptional activities and/or degradation. Moreover, previous studies

Direct testing for allele-specific expression differences between conditions

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Genetic differences in cis regulatory regions contribute to the phenotypic variation observed in natural and human populations, including beneficial, potentially adaptive, traits as well as disease states. The two alleles in a diploid cell can differ in their allele-specific expression leading to al...

Evidence for Live Cl-36 in Ca-Al-rich Inclusions from the Ningqiang Carbonaceous Chondrite

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lin, Y.; Guan, Y.; Leshin, L. A.; Ouyang, Z.; Wang, D.

2004-01-01

The short-lived radionuclide Cl-36 decays to either Ar-36 (98.1%, beta(sup -)) or S-36 (1.9%, epsilon and beta(sup +)), with a half life of 3.01 x 10(exp 5) yr. Both the nucleosynthetic and spallation models suggest high initial Cl-36/Cl-35 ratios ((Cl-36/Cl-35)o up to approximately 10(exp -4)) in the early solar system. Previous observed excess Ar-36 in Efremovka matrix has been interpreted to represent a much lower (Cl-36/Cl-35)o ratio of approximately 1 x 10(exp -6). From the observed S-36 excesses in sodalite in calcium aluminum-rich inclusions (CAIs), we report in this study the first direct evidence of the presence of Cl-36 in primitive meteorites. The inferred (Cl-36/Cl-35)o ratios range from approximately 5 x 10(exp -6) to approximately 1 x 10(exp -5).

High-precision 40Ar/39Ar sanidine geochronology of ignimbrites in the Mogollon-Datil volcanic field, southwestern New Mexico

USGS Publications Warehouse

McIntosh, W.C.; Sutter, J.F.; Chapin, C.E.; Kedzie, L.L.

1990-01-01

40Ar/39Ar age spectra have been obtained from 85 sanidine separates from 36 ignimbrites and one rhyolitic lava in the latest Eocene-Oligocene Mogollon-Datil volcanic field of southwestern New Mexico. Of the 97 measured age spectra, 94 yield weighted-mean plateau ages each giving single-spectrum 1?? precision of??0.25%-0.4% (??0.07-0.14 Ma). Replicate plateau age determinations for eight different samples show within-sample 1?? precisions averaging ??0.25%. Plateau ages from multiple (n=3-8) samples of individual ignimbrites show 1?? within-unit precision of ??0.1%-0.4% (??0.04-0.13 Ma). This within-unit precision represents a several-fold improvement over published K-Ar data for the same ignimbrites, and is similar to the range of precisions reported from single-crystal laser fusion studies. A further indication of the high precision of unit-mean 40Ar/30Ar ages is their close agreement with independently established stratigraphic order. Two samples failed to meet plateau criteria, apparently due to geologic contamination by older feldspars. Effects of minor contamination are shown by six other samples, which yielded slightly anomalous plateau ages. 40Ar/39Ar plateau ages permit resolution of units differing in age by 0.5% (0.15 Ma) or less. This high resolution, combined with paleomagnetic studies, has helped to correlate ignimbrites among isolated ranges and has allowed development of an integrated timestratigraphic framework for the volcanic field. Mogollon-Datil ignimbrites range in age from 36.2 to 24.3 Ma. Ignimbrite activity was strongly episodic, being confined to four brief (<2.6 m.y.) eruptive episodes separated by 1-3 m.y. gaps. Ignimbrite activity generally tended to migrate from the southeast toward the north and west. ?? 1990 Springer-Verlag.

40Ar/ 39Ar, K-Ar and 230Th- 238U dating of the Laschamp excursion: A radioisotopic tie-point for ice core and climate chronologies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singer, Brad S.; Guillou, Hervé; Jicha, Brian R.; Laj, Carlo; Kissel, Catherine; Beard, Brian L.; Johnson, Clark M.

2009-08-01

A brief period of enhanced 10Be flux that straddles the interstadial warm period known as Dansgaard-Oeschger event 10 in Greenland and its counterpart in Antarctica, the Antarctic Isotope Maximum 10 is but one consequence of the weakening of Earth's magnetic field associated with the Laschamp excursion. This 10Be peak measured in the GRIP ice core is dated at 41,250 y b2k (= before year 2000 AD) in the most recent GICC05 age model obtained from the NorthGRIP core via multi-parameter counting of annual layers. Uncertainty in the age of the 10Be peak is, however, no better than ± 1630 y at the 95% confidence level, reflecting accumulated error in identifying annual layers. The age of the Laschamp excursion [Guillou, H., Singer, B.S., Laj, C., Kissel, C., Scaillet, S., Jicha, B., 2004. On the age of the Laschamp geomagnetic excursion. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 227, 331-343.] is revised on the basis of new 40Ar/ 39Ar, unspiked K-Ar and 238U- 230Th data from three lava flows in the Massif Central, France, together with the 40Ar/ 39Ar age of a transitionally magnetized lava flow at Auckland, New Zealand. Combined, these data yield an age of 40,700 ± 950 y b2k, where the uncertainty includes both analytical and systematic ( 40K and 230Th decay constant) errors. Taking the radioisotopic age as a calibration tie point suggests that the layer-counting chronologies for the NorthGRIP and GISP2 ice cores are more accurate and precise than previously thought at depths corresponding to the Laschamp excursion.

40Ar/39Ar laser probe evidence concerning the age and associated hazards of the Lake Nyos Maar, Cameroon

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dalrymple, G.B.; Lockwood, J.P.

1990-01-01

The waters of Lake Nyos are impounded by a fragile natural dam composed of pyroclastic rocks ejected during the formation of the lake crater (maar). Lateral erosion of this dam has reduced its width from over 500 m to only 45 m. Published whole-rock K-Ar ages of about 100 ka on juvenile basalt from the dam suggests that erosion has been slow and that the dam poses no imminent threat. New apparent 40Ar/39Ar ages of 1.4 to 232 Ma on xenocrystic K-feldspar contained in the basalt show that the xenocrysts, whose source is the 528-Ma crystalline basement, are carriers of inherited radiogenic 40Ar and would cause the whole-rock K-Ar ages to be too old. The best estimate for the age of the maar is provided by a 14C age of 400 ?? 100 yr BP on charcoal from the base of the dam. This young age indicates that the dam is eroding at a relatively rapid rate; its failure, perhaps within a few decades, would result in a major flood and imperil thousands of people living downstream in Cameroon and eastern Nigeria. ?? 1990 Kluwer Academic Publishers.

Measurements of the 40Ar(n, γ)41Ar radiative-capture cross section between 0.4 and 14.8 MeV

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhike, Megha; Fallin, B.; Tornow, W.

2014-09-01

The 40Ar(n, γ)41Ar neutron capture cross section has been measured between 0.4 and 14.8 MeV neutron energy using the activation technique. The data are important for estimating backgrounds in argon-based neutrino and dark-matter detectors and in the neutrino-less double-beta decay search GERDA, which uses liquid argon as cooling and shielding medium. For the first time the 40Ar(n, γ)41Ar cross section has been measured for neutron energies above 1 MeV. Our results are compared to the evaluation ENDF/B-VII.1 and the calculated prediction TENDL-2013. The latter agrees very well with the present results.

S-genotype identification based on allele-specific PCR in Japanese pear

PubMed Central

Nashima, Kenji; Terakami, Shingo; Nishio, Sogo; Kunihisa, Miyuki; Nishitani, Chikako; Saito, Toshihiro; Yamamoto, Toshiya

2015-01-01

Gametophytic self-incompatibility in Japanese pear (Pyrus pyrifolia Nakai) is controlled by the single, multi-allelic S-locus. Information about the S-genotypes is important for breeding and the selection of pollen donors for fruit production. Rapid and reliable S-genotype identification system is necessary for efficient breeding of new cultivars in Japanese pear. We designed S allele-specific PCR primer pairs for ten previously reported S-RNase alleles (S1–S9 and Sk) as simple and reliable method. Specific nucleotide sequences were chosen to design the primers to amplify fragments of only the corresponding S alleles. The developed primer pairs were evaluated by using homozygous S-genotypes (S1/S1–S9/S9 and S4sm/S4sm) and 14 major Japanese pear cultivars, and found that S allele-specific primer pairs can identify S-genotypes effectively. The S allele-specific primer pairs developed in this study will be useful for efficient S-genotyping and for marker-assisted selection in Japanese pear breeding programs. PMID:26175617

Noninvasive Detection of AR-FL/AR V7 as a Predictive Biomarker for Therapeutic Resistance in Men with Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-10-01

AWARD NUMBER: W81XWH-15-2-0050 TITLE: Noninvasive Detection of AR -FL/ AR -V7 as a Predictive Biomarker for Therapeutic Resistance in Men with...report are those of the author(s) and should not be construed as an official Department of the Army position, policy or decision unless so designated...Detection of AR -FL/ AR -V7 as a Predictive Biomarker for Therapeutic Resistance in Men with Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer 5c. PROGRAM

Noninvasive Detection of AR-FL/AR-V7 as a Predictive Biomarker for Therapeutic Resistance in Men with Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-10-01

AWARD NUMBER: W81XWH-15-2-0050 TITLE: Noninvasive Detection of AR -FL/ AR -V7 as a Predictive Biomarker for Therapeutic Resistance in Men with...report are those of the author(s) and should not be construed as an official Department of the Army position, policy or decision unless so designated by...Detection of AR -FL/ AR -V7 as a Predictive Biomarker for Therapeutic Resistance in Men with Metastatic Castration- Resistant Prostate Cancer 5c. PROGRAM

Astronomically calibrated 40Ar/39Ar age for the Toba supereruption and global synchronization of late Quaternary records

PubMed Central

Storey, Michael; Roberts, Richard G.; Saidin, Mokhtar

2012-01-01

The Toba supereruption in Sumatra, ∼74 thousand years (ka) ago, was the largest terrestrial volcanic event of the Quaternary. Ash and sulfate aerosols were deposited in both hemispheres, forming a time-marker horizon that can be used to synchronize late Quaternary records globally. A precise numerical age for this event has proved elusive, with dating uncertainties larger than the millennial-scale climate cycles that characterized this period. We report an astronomically calibrated 40Ar/39Ar age of 73.88 ± 0.32 ka (1σ, full external errors) for sanidine crystals extracted from Toba deposits in the Lenggong Valley, Malaysia, 350 km from the eruption source and 6 km from an archaeological site with stone artifacts buried by ash. If these artifacts were made by Homo sapiens, as has been suggested, then our age indicates that modern humans had reached Southeast Asia by ∼74 ka ago. Our 40Ar/39Ar age is an order-of-magnitude more precise than previous estimates, resolving the timing of the eruption to the middle of the cold interval between Dansgaard–Oeschger events 20 and 19, when a peak in sulfate concentration occurred as registered by Greenland ice cores. This peak is followed by a ∼10 °C drop in the Greenland surface temperature over ∼150 y, revealing the possible climatic impact of the eruption. Our 40Ar/39Ar age also provides a high-precision calibration point for other ice, marine, and terrestrial archives containing Toba sulfates and ash, facilitating their global synchronization at unprecedented resolution for a critical period in Earth and human history beyond the range of 14C dating. PMID:23112159

Astronomically calibrated 40Ar/39Ar age for the Toba supereruption and global synchronization of late Quaternary records

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Storey, Michael; Roberts, Richard G.; Saidin, Mokhtar

2012-11-01

The Toba supereruption in Sumatra, ∼74 thousand years (ka) ago, was the largest terrestrial volcanic event of the Quaternary. Ash and sulfate aerosols were deposited in both hemispheres, forming a time-marker horizon that can be used to synchronize late Quaternary records globally. A precise numerical age for this event has proved elusive, with dating uncertainties larger than the millennial-scale climate cycles that characterized this period. We report an astronomically calibrated 40Ar/39Ar age of 73.88 ± 0.32 ka (1σ, full external errors) for sanidine crystals extracted from Toba deposits in the Lenggong Valley, Malaysia, 350 km from the eruption source and 6 km from an archaeological site with stone artifacts buried by ash. If these artifacts were made by Homo sapiens, as has been suggested, then our age indicates that modern humans had reached Southeast Asia by ∼74 ka ago. Our 40Ar/39Ar age is an order-of-magnitude more precise than previous estimates, resolving the timing of the eruption to the middle of the cold interval between Dansgaard-Oeschger events 20 and 19, when a peak in sulfate concentration occurred as registered by Greenland ice cores. This peak is followed by a ∼10 °C drop in the Greenland surface temperature over ∼150 y, revealing the possible climatic impact of the eruption. Our 40Ar/39Ar age also provides a high-precision calibration point for other ice, marine, and terrestrial archives containing Toba sulfates and ash, facilitating their global synchronization at unprecedented resolution for a critical period in Earth and human history beyond the range of 14C dating.

Astronomically calibrated 40Ar/39Ar age for the Toba supereruption and global synchronization of late Quaternary records.

PubMed

Storey, Michael; Roberts, Richard G; Saidin, Mokhtar

2012-11-13

The Toba supereruption in Sumatra, ∼74 thousand years (ka) ago, was the largest terrestrial volcanic event of the Quaternary. Ash and sulfate aerosols were deposited in both hemispheres, forming a time-marker horizon that can be used to synchronize late Quaternary records globally. A precise numerical age for this event has proved elusive, with dating uncertainties larger than the millennial-scale climate cycles that characterized this period. We report an astronomically calibrated (40)Ar/(39)Ar age of 73.88 ± 0.32 ka (1σ, full external errors) for sanidine crystals extracted from Toba deposits in the Lenggong Valley, Malaysia, 350 km from the eruption source and 6 km from an archaeological site with stone artifacts buried by ash. If these artifacts were made by Homo sapiens, as has been suggested, then our age indicates that modern humans had reached Southeast Asia by ∼74 ka ago. Our (40)Ar/(39)Ar age is an order-of-magnitude more precise than previous estimates, resolving the timing of the eruption to the middle of the cold interval between Dansgaard-Oeschger events 20 and 19, when a peak in sulfate concentration occurred as registered by Greenland ice cores. This peak is followed by a ∼10 °C drop in the Greenland surface temperature over ∼150 y, revealing the possible climatic impact of the eruption. Our (40)Ar/(39)Ar age also provides a high-precision calibration point for other ice, marine, and terrestrial archives containing Toba sulfates and ash, facilitating their global synchronization at unprecedented resolution for a critical period in Earth and human history beyond the range of (14)C dating.

Mutations in the ABCA4 (ABCR) Gene Are the Major Cause of Autosomal Recessive Cone-Rod Dystrophy

PubMed Central

Maugeri, Alessandra; Klevering, B. Jeroen; Rohrschneider, Klaus; Blankenagel, Anita; Brunner, Han G.; Deutman, August F.; Hoyng, Carel B.; Cremers, Frans P. M.

2000-01-01

The photoreceptor cell–specific ATP-binding cassette transporter gene (ABCA4; previously denoted “ABCR”) is mutated in most patients with autosomal recessive (AR) Stargardt disease (STGD1) or fundus flavimaculatus (FFM). In addition, a few cases with AR retinitis pigmentosa (RP) and AR cone-rod dystrophy (CRD) have been found to have ABCA4 mutations. To evaluate the importance of the ABCA4 gene as a cause of AR CRD, we selected 5 patients with AR CRD and 15 patients with isolated CRD, all from Germany and The Netherlands . Single-strand conformation–polymorphism analysis and sequencing revealed 19 ABCA4 mutations in 13 (65%) of 20 patients. In six patients, mutations were identified in both ABCA4 alleles; in seven patients, mutations were detected in one allele. One complex ABCA4 allele (L541P;A1038V) was found exclusively in German patients with CRD; one patient carried this complex allele homozygously, and five others were compound heterozygous. These findings suggest that mutations in the ABCA4 gene are the major cause of AR CRD. A primary role of the ABCA4 gene in STGD1/FFM and AR CRD, together with the gene's involvement in an as-yet-unknown proportion of cases with AR RP, strengthens the idea that mutations in the ABCA4 gene could be the most frequent cause of inherited retinal dystrophy in humans. PMID:10958761

40 CFR 721.1230 - Benzene, ethenyl-, ar-bromo derivatives.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 32 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Benzene, ethenyl-, ar-bromo... Specific Chemical Substances § 721.1230 Benzene, ethenyl-, ar-bromo derivatives. (a) Chemical substance and significant new uses subject to reporting. (1) The chemical substance identified as benzene, ethenyl-, ar...

40 CFR 721.1230 - Benzene, ethenyl-, ar-bromo derivatives.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 30 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Benzene, ethenyl-, ar-bromo... Specific Chemical Substances § 721.1230 Benzene, ethenyl-, ar-bromo derivatives. (a) Chemical substance and significant new uses subject to reporting. (1) The chemical substance identified as benzene, ethenyl-, ar...

40 CFR 721.1230 - Benzene, ethenyl-, ar-bromo derivatives.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 32 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Benzene, ethenyl-, ar-bromo... Specific Chemical Substances § 721.1230 Benzene, ethenyl-, ar-bromo derivatives. (a) Chemical substance and significant new uses subject to reporting. (1) The chemical substance identified as benzene, ethenyl-, ar...

40 CFR 721.1230 - Benzene, ethenyl-, ar-bromo derivatives.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 31 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Benzene, ethenyl-, ar-bromo... Specific Chemical Substances § 721.1230 Benzene, ethenyl-, ar-bromo derivatives. (a) Chemical substance and significant new uses subject to reporting. (1) The chemical substance identified as benzene, ethenyl-, ar...

40 CFR 721.1230 - Benzene, ethenyl-, ar-bromo derivatives.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 31 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Benzene, ethenyl-, ar-bromo... Specific Chemical Substances § 721.1230 Benzene, ethenyl-, ar-bromo derivatives. (a) Chemical substance and significant new uses subject to reporting. (1) The chemical substance identified as benzene, ethenyl-, ar...

Allele-specific Characterization of Alanine: Glyoxylate Aminotransferase Variants Associated with Primary Hyperoxaluria

PubMed Central

Lage, Melissa D.; Pittman, Adrianne M. C.; Roncador, Alessandro; Cellini, Barbara; Tucker, Chandra L.

2014-01-01

Primary Hyperoxaluria Type 1 (PH1) is a rare autosomal recessive kidney stone disease caused by deficiency of the peroxisomal enzyme alanine: glyoxylate aminotransferase (AGT), which is involved in glyoxylate detoxification. Over 75 different missense mutations in AGT have been found associated with PH1. While some of the mutations have been found to affect enzyme activity, stability, and/or localization, approximately half of these mutations are completely uncharacterized. In this study, we sought to systematically characterize AGT missense mutations associated with PH1. To facilitate analysis, we used two high-throughput yeast-based assays: one that assesses AGT specific activity, and one that assesses protein stability. Approximately 30% of PH1-associated missense mutations are found in conjunction with a minor allele polymorphic variant, which can interact to elicit complex effects on protein stability and trafficking. To better understand this allele interaction, we functionally characterized each of 34 mutants on both the major (wild-type) and minor allele backgrounds, identifying mutations that synergize with the minor allele. We classify these mutants into four distinct categories depending on activity/stability results in the different alleles. Twelve mutants were found to display reduced activity in combination with the minor allele, compared with the major allele background. When mapped on the AGT dimer structure, these mutants reveal localized regions of the protein that appear particularly sensitive to interactions with the minor allele variant. While the majority of the deleterious effects on activity in the minor allele can be attributed to synergistic interaction affecting protein stability, we identify one mutation, E274D, that appears to specifically affect activity when in combination with the minor allele. PMID:24718375

Small glutamine-rich tetratricopeptide repeat-containing protein alpha is present in human ovaries but may not be differentially expressed in relation to polycystic ovary syndrome.

PubMed

Butler, Miriam S; Yang, Xing; Ricciardelli, Carmela; Liang, Xiaoyan; Norman, Robert J; Tilley, Wayne D; Hickey, Theresa E

2013-06-01

To evaluate the expression and function of small glutamine-rich tetratricopeptide repeat-containing protein alpha (SGTA), an androgen receptor (AR) molecular chaperone, in human ovarian tissues. Examine the effect of SGTA on AR subcellular localization in granulosa tumor cells (KGN) and SGTA expression in ovarian tissues. University-based research laboratory. Archived tissues from premenopausal women and granulosa cells from infertile women receiving assisted reproduction. None. AR subcellular localization and SGTA protein or mRNA levels. SGTA and AR proteins were expressed in the cytoplasm of KGN cells and exposure to androgen stimulated AR nuclear localization. SGTA protein knockdown increased AR nuclear localization at low (0-0.1 nmol/L) but not high (1-10 nmol/L) concentrations of androgen hormone. In ovarian tissues, SGTA was localized to the cytoplasm of granulosa cells at all stages of folliculogenesis and in thecal cells of antral follicles. SGTA protein levels were similar when comparing primordial and primary follicles within core biopsies (n = 40) from women with and without polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Likewise, SGTA mRNA levels were not significantly different in granulosa cells from preovulatory follicles after hyperstimulation of women with and without PCOS. SGTA is present in human ovaries and has the potential to modulate AR signalling, but it may not be differentially expressed in PCOS. Copyright © 2013 American Society for Reproductive Medicine. All rights reserved.

Cognitive and neural correlates of the 5-repeat allele of the dopamine D4 receptor gene in a population lacking the 7-repeat allele.

PubMed

Takeuchi, Hikaru; Tomita, Hiroaki; Taki, Yasuyuki; Kikuchi, Yoshie; Ono, Chiaki; Yu, Zhiqian; Sekiguchi, Atsushi; Nouchi, Rui; Kotozaki, Yuka; Nakagawa, Seishu; Miyauchi, Carlos Makoto; Iizuka, Kunio; Yokoyama, Ryoichi; Shinada, Takamitsu; Yamamoto, Yuki; Hanawa, Sugiko; Araki, Tsuyoshi; Hashizume, Hiroshi; Kunitoki, Keiko; Sassa, Yuko; Kawashima, Ryuta

2015-04-15

The 5-repeat allele of a common length polymorphism in the gene that encodes the dopamine D4 receptor (DRD4) is robustly associated with the risk of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and substantially exists in Asian populations, which have a lower ADHD prevalence. In this study, we investigated the effect of this allele on microstructural properties of the brain and on its functional activity during externally directed attention-demanding tasks and creative performance in the 765 Asian subjects. For this purpose, we employed diffusion tensor imaging, N-back functional magnetic resonance imaging paradigms, and a test to measure creativity by divergent thinking. The 5-repeat allele was significantly associated with increased originality in the creative performance, increased mean diffusivity (the measure of how the tissue includes water molecules instead of neural and vessel components) in the widespread gray and white matter areas of extensive areas, particularly those where DRD4 is expressed, and reduced task-induced deactivation in the areas that are deactivated during the tasks in the course of both the attention-demanding working memory task and simple sensorimotor task. The observed neural characteristics of 5-repeat allele carriers may lead to an increased risk of ADHD and behavioral deficits. Furthermore, the increased originality of creative thinking observed in the 5-repeat allele carriers may support the notion of the side of adaptivity of the widespread risk allele of psychiatric diseases. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Inc.

40Ar/(39)Ar dating of the Kapthurin Formation, Baringo, Kenya.

PubMed

Deino, Alan L; McBrearty, Sally

2002-01-01

The(40)Ar/(39)Ar radiometric dating technique has been applied to tuffs and lavas of the Kapthurin Formation in the Tugen Hills, Kenya Rift Valley. Two variants of the(40)Ar/(39)Ar technique, single-crystal total fusion (SCTF) and laser incremental heating (LIH) have been employed to date five marker horizons within the formation: near the base, the Kasurein Basalt at 0.61+/-0.04 Ma; the Pumice Tuff at 0.543+/-0.004 Ma; the Upper Kasurein Basalt at 0.552+/-0.015 Ma; the Grey Tuff at 0.509+/-0.009 Ma; and within the upper part of the formation, the Bedded Tuff at 0.284+/-0.012 Ma. The new, precise radiometric age determination for the Pumice Tuff also provides an age for the widespread Lake Baringo Trachyte, since the Pumice Tuff is the early pyroclastic phase of this voluminous trachyte eruption. These results establish the age of fossil hominids KNM-BK 63-67 and KNM-BK 8518 at approximately 0.510-0.512 Ma, a significant finding given that few Middle Pleistocene hominids are radiometrically dated. The Kapthurin hominids are thus the near contemporaries of those from Bodo, Ethiopia and Tanzania. A flake and core industry from lacustrine sediments in the lower part of the formation is constrained by new dates of 0.55-0.52 Ma, a period during which the Acheulian industry, characterized by handaxes, is known throughout East Africa. Points, typical of the Middle Stone Age (MSA), are found in Kapthurin Formation sediments now shown to date to between 0.509+/-0.009 Ma and 0.284+/-0.012 Ma. This date exceeds previous estimates for the age of the MSA elsewhere in East Africa by 49 ka, and establishes the age of Acheulian to MSA transition for the region. Evidence of the use of the Levallois technique for the manufacture of both small flakes and biface preforms, the systematic production of blades, and the use and processing of red ochre also occurs in this interval. The presence of blades and red ochre at this depth is important as blades signify a high degree of technical

High-precision 40Ar/39Ar age for the Jehol Biota

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, S.; Zhang, H.; Renne, P. R.; Fang, Y.

2008-12-01

Abundant fossils of the terrestrial Jehol Biota, including plants, insects, dinosaurs, birds, mammals and freshwater invertebrates, were discovered from the Yixian Formation and the overlying Jiufotang Formation in Inner Mongolia, Hebei Province and Liaoning Province, northeastern China. Because of the exceptional preservation of fossils, the Jehol Biota is one of the most important Mesozoic fossil outcrops and referred to as a "Mesozoic Pompeii". The Jehol Biota has provided a rare opportunity to address questions about the origin of birds, the evolution of feathers and flight, the early diversification of angiosperms and the timing of the radiation of placental mammals. The Tuchengzi Formation, which lies unconformably just below the Yixian Formation and consists mainly of variegated sandstones, is less fossiliferous than the two overlying formations. However, dinosaur tracks, silicified wood and compressed plants are found in this formation. A systematic 40Ar/39Ar dating of the Yixian and the Jiufotang formations was undertaken to provide a framework for understanding the timing and duration of the Jehol Biota and evolutionary events represented within it. Furthermore, determining the absolute age of the Tuchengzi Formation provides information to interpret abundant dinosaur tracks within and provide better age constrains for the beginning of the Jehol Biota. Here we present robust high-precision 40Ar/39Ar data for six tuff samples and two basalt samples collected from the Tuchengzi, the Yixian and the Jiufotang formations near the classic outcrops in western Liaoning, NE China. We obtain an age of 139.5 ± 1.0 Ma for the uppermost Tuchengzi Formation, an age of 129.7 ± 0.5 Ma for a basaltic lava from the bottom of the Yixian Formation and an age of 122.1 ± 0.3 Ma for a tuff from the base of the overlying Jiufotang Formation. Our data indicate that the Yixian Formation was deposited during the Early Cretaceous, the Barremian to early Aptian, within a time span

High resolution 40AR/39AR chronostratigraphy of the Late Cretaceous El Gallo Formation, Baja California del Norte, Mexico

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Renne, Paul R.; Fulford, Madeleine M.; Busby-Spera, Cathy

1991-03-01

Laser probe 40Ar/39Ar analyses of individual sanidine grains from four tuffs in the alluvial Late Cretaceous (Campanian) El Gallo Formation yield statistically distinct mean dates ranging from 74.87±0.05 Ma to 73.59±0.09 Ma. The exceptional precision of these dates permits calculation of statistically significant sediment accumulation rates that are much higher than passive sediment loading would cause, implying rapid tectonically induced subsidence. The dates bracket tightly the age of important dinosaur and mammalian faunas previously reported from the El Gallo Formation. The dates support an age less than 73 Ma for the Campanian/Maastrichtian stage boundary, younger than indicated by several currently used time scales. Further application of the single grain 40Ar/39Ar technique may be expected to greatly benefit stratigraphic studies of Mesozoic sedimentary basins and contribute to calibration of biostratigraphic and magnetostratigraphic time scales.

Eurekan deformation on Prins Karls Forland, Svalbard - new insights from Ar40/Ar39 muscovite dating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Faehnrich, Karol; Schneider, David; Manecki, Maciej; Czerny, Jerzy; Myhre, Per Inge; Majka, Jarosław; Kośmińska, Karolina; Barnes, Christopher; Maraszewska, Maria

2017-04-01

Eurekan deformation has been proven to be a complex sequence of tectonic episodes, dominated by compression in the Circum Arctic region. It was associated with early Cenozoic collision of Eurasia, North America and Greenland plates producing fold-thrust belt style of deformation. Timing of this enigmatic event has not yet been extensively resolved by radiometric dating (Piepjohn et al. 2016, Journal of the Geological Society, 173(6), 1007-1024). Reinhardt et al. (2013, Z. Dt. Ges. Geowiss., 164 (1), 131-147) dated syn-tectonic volcanic ashes at c. 60 Ma and 54 Ma on Ellesmere Island, Canada. Tagner et al. (2011, Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 303(3), 203-214) interpreted c. 49-47 Ma 40Ar/39Ar ages on trachyte flows in northern Greenland as peak compression during the Eurekan event. On Svalbard, Tessensohn et al. (2001, Geologisches Jahrbuch, B 91, 83-104) reported K/Ar whole rock ages ranging from c. 67 to 49 Ma for the slates from Svartfjella-Eidembukta-Daudmannsodden Lineament. Bentonite layers in the Central Tertiary Basin are as young as c. 56 Ma (Charles et al. 2011, Geochem. Geophys. Geosyst., 12, 1-19), predating latest deformation. Moreover, Barnes et al (2017, in prep.) applied (U-Th)/He thermochronology along the western margin of Svalbard and resolved Early to Middle Eocene heating, likely documenting burial related to thrusting. Here we present new results from 40Ar/39Ar muscovite dating of ductile to brittle shear zone on Prins Karls Forland, Svalbard, indicating Eurekan age of thrusting. Prins Karls Forland is dominated by Neoproterozoic siliciclastic metasediments (comprising Caledonian basement) regionally metamorphosed to greenschist facies conditions. A ˜1 km wide ductile to brittle shear zone (the Bouréefjellet shear zone) separates the amphibolite facies Pinkie Unit from the lower grade upper structural unit, the Grampianfjella Formation (Faehnrich et al. 2016, EGU 2016). The age of the amphibolite facies metamorphism (c. 370-355 Ma

40Ar/39Ar laser fusion and K-Ar ages from Lathrop Wells, Nevada, and Cima, California. The age of the latest volcanic activity in the Yucca Mountain area

USGS Publications Warehouse

Turrin, Brent D.; Champion, Duane E.; ,

1991-01-01

K-Ar and 40Ar/39Ar ages from the Lathrop Wells volcanic center, Nevada, and from the Cima volcanic field, California, indicate that the recently reported 20-ka age estimate for the Lathrop Wells volcanic center is incorrect. Instead an age of 119??11 to 141??10 ka is indicated for the Lathrop Wells volcanic center. This age corrected is concordant with the ages determined by two independent isotopic geochronometric techniques and with the stratigraphy of surficial deposits in the Yucca Mountain region. In addition, paleomagnetic data and radiometric age data indicate only two volcanic events at the Lathrop Wells volcanic center that are probably closely linked in time, not as many as five as recently reported.

Characterization of arsenic resistant bacteria from arsenic rich groundwater of West Bengal, India.

PubMed

Sarkar, Angana; Kazy, Sufia K; Sar, Pinaki

2013-03-01

Sixty-four arsenic (As) resistant bacteria isolated from an arsenic rich groundwater sample of West Bengal were characterized to investigate their potential role in subsurface arsenic mobilization. Among the isolated strains predominance of genera Agrobacterium/Rhizobium, Ochrobactrum and Achromobacter which could grow chemolitrophically and utilize arsenic as electron donor were detected. Higher tolerance to As(3+) [maximum tolerable concentration (MTC): ≥10 mM], As(5+) (MTC: ≥100 mM) and other heavy metals like Cu(2+), Cr(2+), Ni(2+) etc. (MTC: ≥10 mM), presence of arsenate reductase and siderophore was frequently observed among the isolates. Ability to produce arsenite oxidase and phosphatase enzyme was detected in 50 and 34 % of the isolates, respectively. Although no direct correlation among taxonomic identity of bacterial strains and their metabolic abilities as mentioned above was apparent, several isolates affiliated to genera Ochrobactrum, Achromobacter and unclassified Rhizobiaceae members were found to be highly resistant to As(3+) and As(5+) and positive for all the test properties. Arsenate reductase activity was found to be conferred by arsC gene, which in many strains was coupled with arsenite efflux gene arsB as well. Phylogenetic incongruence between the 16S rRNA and ars genes lineages indicated possible incidence of horizontal gene transfer for ars genes. Based on the results we propose that under the prevailing low nutrient condition inhabitant bacteria capable of using inorganic electron donors play a synergistic role wherein siderophores and phosphatase activities facilitate the release of sediment bound As(5+), which is subsequently reduced by arsenate reductase resulting into the mobilization of As(3+) in groundwater.

ArsR arsenic-resistance regulatory protein from Cupriavidus metallidurans CH34

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhang, Y.; van der Lelie, D.; Monchy, S.

The Cupriavidus metallidurans CH34 arsR gene, which is part of the arsRIC{sub 2}BC{sub 1}HP operon, and its putative arsenic-resistance regulatory protein were identified and characterized. The arsenic-induced transcriptome of C. metallidurans CH34 showed that the genes most upregulated in the presence of arsenate were all located within the ars operon, with none of the other numerous heavy metal resistance systems present in CH34 being induced. A transcriptional fusion between the luxCDABE operon and the arsR promoter/operator (P/O) region was used to confirm the in vivo induction of the ars operon by arsenite and arsenate. The arsR gene was cloned intomore » expression vectors allowing for the overexpression of the ArsR protein as either his-tagged or untagged protein. The ability of the purified ArsR proteins to bind to the ars P/O region was analyzed in vitro by gel mobility shift assays. ArsR showed an affinity almost exclusively to its own ars P/O region. Dissociation of ArsR and its P/O region was metal dependent, and based on decreasing degrees of dissociation three groups of heavy metals could be distinguished: As(III), Bi(III), Co(II), Cu(II), Ni(II); Cd(II); Pb(II) and Zn(II), while no dissociation was observed in the presence of As(V).« less

A pulsed plasma jet with the various Ar/N2 mixtures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barkhordari, A.; Ganjovi, A.; Mirzaei, I.; Falahat, A.; Rostami Ravari, M. N.

2017-12-01

In this paper, using the Optical Emission Spectroscopy technique, the physical properties of a fabricated pulsed DBD plasma jet are studied. Ar/N2 gaseous mixture is taken as operational gas, and Ar contribution in Ar/N2 mixture is varied from 75 to 95%. Through the optical emission spectra analysis of the pulsed DBD plasma jet, the rotational, vibrational and excitation temperatures and density of electrons in plasma medium of the pulsed plasma jet are obtained. It is seen that, at the wavelength of 750.38 nm, the radiation intensity from the Ar 4p → 4 s transition increases at the higher Ar contributions in Ar/N2 mixture. It is found that, for 95% of Ar presence in the mixture, the emission intensities from argon and molecular nitrogen are higher, and the emission line intensities will increase nonlinearly. In addition, it is observed that the quenching of Ar* by N2 results in the higher intensities of N2 excited molecules. Moreover, at the higher percentages of Ar in Ar/N2 mixture, while all the plasma temperatures are increased, the plasma electron density is reduced.

Rare-gas-rich separates from carbonaceous chondrites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reynolds, J. H.; Frick, U.; Neil, J. M.; Phinney, D. L.

1978-01-01

This paper describes an analysis of carbon-rich separates prepared by demineralization of colloidal fractions after disaggregation of bulk samples of the type C2 meteorites Murray, Murchison, and Cold Bokkeveld, as well as a methanol colloid extracted from acid-resistant residues of the Allende meteorite (type C3V) obtained by dissolution of most of the minerals in HCl and HF acids. The carbonaceous separates, or lAlates (a coined word designating colloids prepared sometimes before and sometimes after acid treatment), are characterized incompletely and with difficulty. A stepwise heating experiment on a Murray lAlate is discussed which revealed bimodal release of all noble gases, with similar patterns for Ar, Kr, and Xe. Chemical reactions are suggested as the likely mechanism for gas release. The results are shown to support the concept of a carbonaceous gas carrier uniformly present in meteorites of various types.

AR-39Ar-40 dating of basalts and rock breccias from Apollo 17 and the malvern achondrite

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kirsten, T.; Horn, P.

1977-01-01

The principles and the potential of the Ar-39/Ar-40 dating technique are illustrated by means of results obtained for 12 Apollo 17 rocks. Emphasis is given to methodical problems and the geological interpretation of lunar rock ages. Often it is ambigious to associate a given lunar breccia with a certain formation, or a formation with a basin. In addition, large-scale events on the Moon have not necessarily reset radiometric clocks completely. One rock fragment has a well-defined plateau age of 4.28 b.y., but the ages of two Apollo 17 breccias define an upper limit for the formation age of the Serenitatis basin at 4.05 b.y. Ages derived from five mare basalts indicate cessation of mare volcanism at Taurus-Littrow approximately 3.78 b.y. ago. Ca/Ar-37 exposure ages show that Camelot Crater was formed by an impact approximately 95 m.y. ago. After a short summary of the lunar timetable as it stands at the end of the Apollo program, we report about Ar-39/Ar-40 and rare gas studies on the Malvern meteorite. This achondrite resembles lunar highland breccias in texture as well as in rare-gas patterns. It was strongly annealed at some time between 3.4 and 3.8 b.y. ago. The results indicate that very similar processes have occurred on the Moon and on achondritic parent bodies at comparable times, leading to impact breccias with strikingly similar features, including the retention of rare-gas isotopes from various sources.

Allelic Prevalence of ABO Blood Group Genes in Iranian Azari Population

PubMed Central

Nojavan, Mohammad; Shamsasenjan, Karrim; Movassaghpour, Ali Akbar; Akbarzadehlaleh, Parvin; Torabi, Seyd Esmail; Ghojazadeh, Morteza

2012-01-01

Introduction ABO blood group system is the most important blood group in transfusion and has been widely used in population studies. Several molecular techniques for ABO allele’s detection are widely used for distinguishing various alleles of glycosyl transferase locus on chromosome 9. Methods 744 randomly selected samples from Azari donors of East Azerbaijan province (Iran) were examined using well-adjusted multiplex allele- specific PCR ABO genotyping technique. Results The results were consistent for all individuals. The ABO blood group genotype of 744 healthy Azari blood donors was: 25.8% AA/AO (2), 7.6% AO (1), 1.6% BB, 11.3% B0 (1), 10% AB, 9.3% 0(1)0(1) and 15.3%0(1)0(2). The highest genotype frequency belonged to O01/O02 genotype (15.3%) and the lowest frequency belonged to A101/A102 genotype (0.4%). Conclusions: The frequencies of ABO alleles didn’t show significant differences between East Azerbaijan province population and that of other areas of the country. Meanwhile, statistical analysis of frequencies of A and B alleles between East Azerbaijan province population and neighbor countries showed significant differences whereas the frequency of allele O between them did not show significant difference (P>0.05). Conclusions The frequencies of ABO alleles didn’t show significant differences between East Azerbaijan province population and that of other areas of the country. Meanwhile, statistical analysis of frequencies of A and B alleles between East Azerbaijan province population and neighbor countries showed significant differences whereas the frequency of allele O between them did not show significant difference (P>0.05). PMID:23678461

A geochronological 40Ar/39Ar and 87Rb/81Sr study of K-Mn oxides from the weathering sequence of Azul, Brazil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ruffet, G.; Innocent, C.; Michard, A.; Féraud, G.; Beauvais, A.; Nahon, D.; Hamelin, B.

1996-06-01

KMn oxides of hollandite group minerals such as cryptomelane (K 1-2(Mn 3+, Mn 4+) 8O 16nH 2O) are often precipitated authigenically in weathering profiles. The presence of structural K allows these minerals to be dated by the KAr and 40Ar/ 39Ar methods, making it possible to study the progression of oxidation fronts during weathering processes. Within the context of a recent 40Ar/ 39Ar study of cryptomelane from the Azul Mn deposit in the Carajàs region (Amazônia, Brazil), Vasconcelos et al. (1994) defined three age clusters (65-69, 51-56, and 40-43 Ma) and proposed that they correspond to the episodic precipitation of the three generations of Mn oxide that have been identified in the deposit (Beauvais et al., 1987). We performed a laser probe 40Ar/ 39Ar and 87Rb/ 87Sr study on new samples from the same Mn deposit. Our 40Ar/ 39Ar data confirm that cryptomelane is a suitable mineral for 40Ar/ 39Ar dating, although in some cases we clearly identify the existence of 39Ar recoil effects. Although the corresponding age spectra are generally strongly disturbed, our results also confirm that the earliest cryptomelane generation is of Upper Cretaceous-Paleocene age. We obtained good plateau ages from veins and concretions of the second cryptomelane generation. Some of these results allow definition of a well-constrained age cluster at 46.7-48.1 Ma not observed by Vasconcelos et al. (1994). A petrographic study confirms that none of the samples analyzed in the present study contained material associated with the third generation of cryptomelane. We propose that these new results support the idea of a more or less continuous crystallization of KMn oxides, mainly constrained by local factors, rather than the model advanced by Vasconcelos et al. (1994), which suggests that each cryptomelane generation corresponds to distinct weathering events related to global climatic changes. 87Sr/ 86Sr data show large variations, clearly inherited from the 2.1 Ga parent rock of

40Ar 39Ar Ages and tectonic setting of ophiolite from the Neyriz area, southeast Zagros Range, Iran

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lanphere, M.A.; Pamic, J.

1983-01-01

An ophiolite, considered to be an allochthonous fragment of Tethyan oceanic crust and mantle, crops out near Neyriz in the Zagros Range, Iran. 40Ar 39Ar ages ranging from 76.8 ?? 23.8 Ma to 105 ?? 23.3 Ma were measured on hornblende from five samples of plagiogranite and diabase from the ophiolite. The most precise ages are 85.9 ?? 3.8 Ma for a diabase and 83.6 ?? 8.4 Ma for a plagiogranite. The weighted mean age of hornblende from the five samples is 87.5 ?? 7.2 Ma which indicates that the igneous part of the Neyriz ophiolite formed during the early part of the Late Cretaceous. Pargasite from amphibolite below peridotite of the Neyriz ophiolite has a 40Ar 39Ar age of 94.9 ?? 7.6 Ma. The pargasite age agrees within analytical uncertainty with the ages measured on diabase and plagiogranite. Comparable ages have been measured on igneous rocks from the Samail ophiolite of Oman and on amphibolite below peridotite of the Samail ophiolite. ?? 1983.

Nomenclature for alleles of the thiopurine methyltransferase gene

PubMed Central

Appell, Malin L.; Berg, Jonathan; Duley, John; Evans, William E.; Kennedy, Martin A.; Lennard, Lynne; Marinaki, Tony; McLeod, Howard L.; Relling, Mary V.; Schaeffeler, Elke; Schwab, Matthias; Weinshilboum, Richard; Yeoh, Allen E.J.; McDonagh, Ellen M.; Hebert, Joan M.; Klein, Teri E.; Coulthard, Sally A.

2013-01-01

The drug-metabolizing enzyme thiopurine methyltransferase (TPMT) has become one of the best examples of pharmacogenomics to be translated into routine clinical practice. TPMT metabolizes the thiopurines 6-mercaptopurine, 6-thioguanine, and azathioprine, drugs that are widely used for treatment of acute leukemias, inflammatory bowel diseases, and other disorders of immune regulation. Since the discovery of genetic polymorphisms in the TPMT gene, many sequence variants that cause a decreased enzyme activity have been identified and characterized. Increasingly, to optimize dose, pretreatment determination of TPMT status before commencing thiopurine therapy is now routine in many countries. Novel TPMT sequence variants are currently numbered sequentially using PubMed as a source of information; however, this has caused some problems as exemplified by two instances in which authors’ articles appeared on PubMed at the same time, resulting in the same allele numbers given to different polymorphisms. Hence, there is an urgent need to establish an order and consensus to the numbering of known and novel TPMT sequence variants. To address this problem, a TPMT nomenclature committee was formed in 2010, to define the nomenclature and numbering of novel variants for the TPMT gene. A website (http://www.imh.liu.se/tpmtalleles) serves as a platform for this work. Researchers are encouraged to submit novel TPMT alleles to the committee for designation and reservation of unique allele numbers. The committee has decided to renumber two alleles: nucleotide position 106 (G > A) from TPMT*24 to TPMT*30 and position 611 (T > C, rs79901429) from TPMT*28 to TPMT*31. Nomenclature for all other known alleles remains unchanged. PMID:23407052

QuASAR: quantitative allele-specific analysis of reads.

PubMed

Harvey, Chris T; Moyerbrailean, Gregory A; Davis, Gordon O; Wen, Xiaoquan; Luca, Francesca; Pique-Regi, Roger

2015-04-15

Expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) studies have discovered thousands of genetic variants that regulate gene expression, enabling a better understanding of the functional role of non-coding sequences. However, eQTL studies are costly, requiring large sample sizes and genome-wide genotyping of each sample. In contrast, analysis of allele-specific expression (ASE) is becoming a popular approach to detect the effect of genetic variation on gene expression, even within a single individual. This is typically achieved by counting the number of RNA-seq reads matching each allele at heterozygous sites and testing the null hypothesis of a 1:1 allelic ratio. In principle, when genotype information is not readily available, it could be inferred from the RNA-seq reads directly. However, there are currently no existing methods that jointly infer genotypes and conduct ASE inference, while considering uncertainty in the genotype calls. We present QuASAR, quantitative allele-specific analysis of reads, a novel statistical learning method for jointly detecting heterozygous genotypes and inferring ASE. The proposed ASE inference step takes into consideration the uncertainty in the genotype calls, while including parameters that model base-call errors in sequencing and allelic over-dispersion. We validated our method with experimental data for which high-quality genotypes are available. Results for an additional dataset with multiple replicates at different sequencing depths demonstrate that QuASAR is a powerful tool for ASE analysis when genotypes are not available. http://github.com/piquelab/QuASAR. fluca@wayne.edu or rpique@wayne.edu Supplementary Material is available at Bioinformatics online. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

QuASAR: quantitative allele-specific analysis of reads

PubMed Central

Harvey, Chris T.; Moyerbrailean, Gregory A.; Davis, Gordon O.; Wen, Xiaoquan; Luca, Francesca; Pique-Regi, Roger

2015-01-01

Motivation: Expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) studies have discovered thousands of genetic variants that regulate gene expression, enabling a better understanding of the functional role of non-coding sequences. However, eQTL studies are costly, requiring large sample sizes and genome-wide genotyping of each sample. In contrast, analysis of allele-specific expression (ASE) is becoming a popular approach to detect the effect of genetic variation on gene expression, even within a single individual. This is typically achieved by counting the number of RNA-seq reads matching each allele at heterozygous sites and testing the null hypothesis of a 1:1 allelic ratio. In principle, when genotype information is not readily available, it could be inferred from the RNA-seq reads directly. However, there are currently no existing methods that jointly infer genotypes and conduct ASE inference, while considering uncertainty in the genotype calls. Results: We present QuASAR, quantitative allele-specific analysis of reads, a novel statistical learning method for jointly detecting heterozygous genotypes and inferring ASE. The proposed ASE inference step takes into consideration the uncertainty in the genotype calls, while including parameters that model base-call errors in sequencing and allelic over-dispersion. We validated our method with experimental data for which high-quality genotypes are available. Results for an additional dataset with multiple replicates at different sequencing depths demonstrate that QuASAR is a powerful tool for ASE analysis when genotypes are not available. Availability and implementation: http://github.com/piquelab/QuASAR. Contact: fluca@wayne.edu or rpique@wayne.edu Supplementary information: Supplementary Material is available at Bioinformatics online. PMID:25480375

Tissue-specific patterns of allelically-skewed DNA methylation

PubMed Central

Marzi, Sarah J.; Meaburn, Emma L.; Dempster, Emma L.; Lunnon, Katie; Paya-Cano, Jose L.; Smith, Rebecca G.; Volta, Manuela; Troakes, Claire; Schalkwyk, Leonard C.; Mill, Jonathan

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT While DNA methylation is usually thought to be symmetrical across both alleles, there are some notable exceptions. Genomic imprinting and X chromosome inactivation are two well-studied sources of allele-specific methylation (ASM), but recent research has indicated a more complex pattern in which genotypic variation can be associated with allelically-skewed DNA methylation in cis. Given the known heterogeneity of DNA methylation across tissues and cell types we explored inter- and intra-individual variation in ASM across several regions of the human brain and whole blood from multiple individuals. Consistent with previous studies, we find widespread ASM with > 4% of the ∼220,000 loci interrogated showing evidence of allelically-skewed DNA methylation. We identify ASM flanking known imprinted regions, and show that ASM sites are enriched in DNase I hypersensitivity sites and often located in an extended genomic context of intermediate DNA methylation. We also detect examples of genotype-driven ASM, some of which are tissue-specific. These findings contribute to our understanding of the nature of differential DNA methylation across tissues and have important implications for genetic studies of complex disease. As a resource to the community, ASM patterns across each of the tissues studied are available in a searchable online database: http://epigenetics.essex.ac.uk/ASMBrainBlood. PMID:26786711

Allelic variation contributes to bacterial host specificity

DOE PAGES

Yue, Min; Han, Xiangan; Masi, Leon De; ...

2015-10-30

Understanding the molecular parameters that regulate cross-species transmission and host adaptation of potential pathogens is crucial to control emerging infectious disease. Although microbial pathotype diversity is conventionally associated with gene gain or loss, the role of pathoadaptive nonsynonymous single-nucleotide polymorphisms (nsSNPs) has not been systematically evaluated. Here, our genome-wide analysis of core genes within Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium genomes reveals a high degree of allelic variation in surface-exposed molecules, including adhesins that promote host colonization. Subsequent multinomial logistic regression, MultiPhen and Random Forest analyses of known/suspected adhesins from 580 independent Typhimurium isolates identifies distinct host-specific nsSNP signatures. Moreover, population andmore » functional analyses of host-associated nsSNPs for FimH, the type 1 fimbrial adhesin, highlights the role of key allelic residues in host-specific adherence in vitro. In conclusion, together, our data provide the first concrete evidence that functional differences between allelic variants of bacterial proteins likely contribute to pathoadaption to diverse hosts.« less

Role of Penning ionization in the enhancement of streamer channel conductivity and Ar(1s{sub 5}) production in a He-Ar plasma jet

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sands, Brian L.; Huang, Shih K.; Speltz, Jared W.

2013-04-21

Plasma jet devices that use a helium gas flow mixed with a small percentage of argon have been shown to operate with a larger discharge current and enhanced production of the Ar(1s{sub 5}) metastable state, particularly in the discharge afterglow. In this experiment, time-resolved quantitative measurements of He(2{sup 3}S{sub 1}) and Ar(1s{sub 5}) metastable species were combined with current and spectrally resolved emission measurements to elucidate the role of Penning ionization in a helium plasma jet with a variable argon admixture. The plasma jet was enclosed in a glass chamber through which a flowing nitrogen background was maintained at 600more » Torr. At 3%-5% Ar admixture, we observed a {approx}50% increase in the peak circuit current and streamer velocity relative to a pure helium plasma jet for the same applied voltage. The streamer initiation delay also decreased by {approx}20%. Penning ionization of ground-state argon was found to be the dominant quenching pathway for He(2{sup 3}S{sub 1}) up to 2% Ar and was directly correlated with a sharp increase in both the circuit current and afterglow production of Ar(1s{sub 5}) for Ar admixtures up to 1%, but not necessarily with the streamer velocity, which increased more gradually with Ar concentration. Ar(1s{sub 5}) was produced in the afterglow through recombination of Ar{sup +} and dissociative recombination of Ar{sub 2}{sup +} as the local mean electron energy decreased in the plasma channel behind the streamer head. The discharge current and argon metastable enhancement are contingent on the rapid production of He(2{sup 3}S{sub 1}) near the streamer head, >5 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 12} cm{sup -3} in 30 ns under the conditions of this experiment.« less

Population differentiation in allele frequencies of obesity-associated SNPs.

PubMed

Mao, Linyong; Fang, Yayin; Campbell, Michael; Southerland, William M

2017-11-10

Obesity is emerging as a global health problem, with more than one-third of the world's adult population being overweight or obese. In this study, we investigated worldwide population differentiation in allele frequencies of obesity-associated SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms). We collected a total of 225 obesity-associated SNPs from a public database. Their population-level allele frequencies were derived based on the genotype data from 1000 Genomes Project (phase 3). We used hypergeometric model to assess whether the effect allele at a given SNP is significantly enriched or depleted in each of the 26 populations surveyed in the 1000 Genomes Project with respect to the overall pooled population. Our results indicate that 195 out of 225 SNPs (86.7%) possess effect alleles significantly enriched or depleted in at least one of the 26 populations. Populations within the same continental group exhibit similar allele enrichment/depletion patterns whereas inter-continental populations show distinct patterns. Among the 225 SNPs, 15 SNPs cluster in the first intron region of the FTO gene, which is a major gene associated with body-mass index (BMI) and fat mass. African populations exhibit much smaller blocks of LD (linkage disequilibrium) among these15 SNPs while European and Asian populations have larger blocks. To estimate the cumulative effect of all variants associated with obesity, we developed the personal composite genetic risk score for obesity. Our results indicate that the East Asian populations have the lowest averages of the composite risk scores, whereas three European populations have the highest averages. In addition, the population-level average of composite genetic risk scores is significantly correlated (R 2 = 0.35, P = 0.0060) with obesity prevalence. We have detected substantial population differentiation in allele frequencies of obesity-associated SNPs. The results will help elucidate the genetic basis which may contribute to population

VLA radio observations of AR Scorpii

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stanway, E. R.; Marsh, T. R.; Chote, P.; Gänsicke, B. T.; Steeghs, D.; Wheatley, P. J.

2018-03-01

Aims: AR Scorpii is unique amongst known white dwarf binaries in showing powerful pulsations extending to radio frequencies. Here we aim to investigate the multi-frequency radio emission of AR Sco in detail, in order to constrain its origin and emission mechanisms. Methods: We present interferometric radio frequency imaging of AR Sco at 1.5, 5 and 9 GHz, analysing the total flux and polarization behaviour of this source at high time resolution (10, 3 and 3 s), across a full 3.6 h orbital period in each band. Results: We find strong modulation of the radio flux on the orbital period and the orbital sideband of the white dwarf's spin period (also known as the "beat" period). This indicates that, like the optical flux, the radio flux arises predominantly from on or near the inner surface of the M-dwarf companion star. The beat-phase pulsations of AR Sco decrease in strength with decreasing frequency. They are strongest at 9 GHz and at an orbital phase 0.5. Unlike the optical emission from this source, radio emission from AR Sco shows weak linear polarization but very strong circular polarization, reaching 30% at an orbital phase 0.8. We infer the probable existence of a non-relativistic cyclotron emission component, which dominates at low radio frequencies. Given the required magnetic fields, this also likely arises from on or near the M-dwarf. A table of the flux time series is only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (http://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/611/A66

Clonal Ordering of 17p and 5q Allelic Losses in Barrett Dysplasia and Adenocarcinoma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blount, Patricia L.; Meltzer, Stephen J.; Yin, Jing; Huang, Ying; Krasna, Mark J.; Reid, Brian J.

1993-04-01

Both 17p and 5q allelic losses appear to be involved in the pathogenesis or progression of many human solid tumors. In colon carcinogenesis, there is strong evidence that the targets of the 17p and 5q allelic losses are TP53, the gene encoding p53, and APC, respectively. It is widely accepted that 5q allelic losses precede 17p allelic losses in the progression to colonic carcinoma. The data, however, supporting this proposed order are largely based on the prevalence of 17p and 5q allelic losses in adenomas and unrelated adenocarcinomas from different patients. We investigated the order in which 17p and 5q allelic losses developed during neoplastic progression in Barrett esophagus by evaluating multiple aneuploid cell populations from the same patient. Using DNA content flow cytometric cell sorting and polymerase chain reaction, 38 aneuploid cell populations from 14 patients with Barrett esophagus who had high grade dysplasia, cancer or both were evaluated for 17p and 5q allelic losses. 17p allelic losses preceded 5q allelic losses in 7 patients, both 17p and 5q allelic losses were present in all aneuploid populations of 4 patients, and only 17p (without 5q) allelic losses were present in the aneuploid populations of 3 patients. In no patient did we find that a 5q allelic loss preceded a 17p allelic loss. Our data suggest that 17p allelic losses typically occur before 5q allelic losses during neoplastic progression in Barrett esophagus.

Methane-rich water induces cucumber adventitious rooting through heme oxygenase1/carbon monoxide and Ca(2+) pathways.

PubMed

Cui, Weiti; Qi, Fang; Zhang, Yihua; Cao, Hong; Zhang, Jing; Wang, Ren; Shen, Wenbiao

2015-03-01

Methane-rich water triggered adventitious rooting by regulating heme oxygenase1/carbon monoxide and calcium pathways in cucumber explants. Heme oxygenase1/carbon monoxide (HO1/CO) and calcium (Ca(2+)) were reported as the downstream signals in auxin-induced cucumber adventitious root (AR) formation. Here, we observed that application of methane-rich water (MRW; 80% saturation) obviously induced AR formation in IAA-depleted cucumber explants. To address the universality, we checked adventitious rooting in soybean and mung bean explants, and found that MRW (50 and 10% saturation, respectively) exhibited the similar inducing results. To further determine if the HO1/CO system participated in MRW-induced adventitious rooting, MRW, HO1 inducer hemin, its activity inhibitor zinc protoporphyrin IX (ZnPP), and its catalytic by-products CO, bilirubin, and Fe(2+) were used to detect their effects on cucumber adventitious rooting in IAA-depleted explants. Subsequent results showed that MRW-induced adventitious rooting was blocked by ZnPP and further reversed by 20% saturation CO aqueous solution. However, the other two by-products of HO1, bilirubin and Fe(2+), failed to induce AR formation. Above responses were consistent with the MRW-induced increases of HO1 transcript and corresponding protein level. Further molecular evidence indicted that expression of marker genes, including auxin signaling-related genes and cell cycle regulatory genes, were modulated by MRW alone but blocked by the cotreatment with ZnPP, the latter of which could be significantly rescued by the addition of CO. By using the Ca(2+)-channel blocker and Ca(2+) chelator, the involvement of Ca(2+) pathway in MRW-induced adventitious rooting was also suggested. Together, our results indicate that MRW might serve as a stimulator of adventitious rooting, which was partially mediated by HO1/CO and Ca(2+) pathways.

Ar-Ar Dating of Martian Chassignites, NWA2737 and Chassigny, and Nakhlite MIL03346

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bogard, D. D.; Garrison, D. H.

2006-01-01

Until recently only three nakhlites and one chassignite had been identified among martian meteorites. These four exhibit very similar radiometric ages and cosmic ray exposure (CRE) ages, indicating that they may have derived from a common location on Mars and were ejected into space by a single impact. This situation is quite different from that of martian shergottites, which exhibit a range of radiometric ages and CRE ages (1). Recently, several new nakhlites and a new martian dunite (NWA2737) have been recognized. Here we report our results of Ar-39-Ar-40 dating for the MIL03346 nakhlite and the NWA2737 "chassignite", along with new results on Chassigny.

An Updated Collection of Sequence Barcoded Temperature-Sensitive Alleles of Yeast Essential Genes

PubMed Central

Kofoed, Megan; Milbury, Karissa L.; Chiang, Jennifer H.; Sinha, Sunita; Ben-Aroya, Shay; Giaever, Guri; Nislow, Corey; Hieter, Philip; Stirling, Peter C.

2015-01-01

Systematic analyses of essential gene function using mutant collections in Saccharomyces cerevisiae have been conducted using collections of heterozygous diploids, promoter shut-off alleles, through alleles with destabilized mRNA, destabilized protein, or bearing mutations that lead to a temperature-sensitive (ts) phenotype. We previously described a method for construction of barcoded ts alleles in a systematic fashion. Here we report the completion of this collection of alleles covering 600 essential yeast genes. This resource covers a larger gene repertoire than previous collections and provides a complementary set of strains suitable for single gene and genomic analyses. We use deep sequencing to characterize the amino acid changes leading to the ts phenotype in half of the alleles. We also use high-throughput approaches to describe the relative ts behavior of the alleles. Finally, we demonstrate the experimental usefulness of the collection in a high-content, functional genomic screen for ts alleles that increase spontaneous P-body formation. By increasing the number of alleles and improving the annotation, this ts collection will serve as a community resource for probing new aspects of biology for essential yeast genes. PMID:26175450

An Updated Collection of Sequence Barcoded Temperature-Sensitive Alleles of Yeast Essential Genes.

PubMed

Kofoed, Megan; Milbury, Karissa L; Chiang, Jennifer H; Sinha, Sunita; Ben-Aroya, Shay; Giaever, Guri; Nislow, Corey; Hieter, Philip; Stirling, Peter C

2015-07-14

Systematic analyses of essential gene function using mutant collections in Saccharomyces cerevisiae have been conducted using collections of heterozygous diploids, promoter shut-off alleles, through alleles with destabilized mRNA, destabilized protein, or bearing mutations that lead to a temperature-sensitive (ts) phenotype. We previously described a method for construction of barcoded ts alleles in a systematic fashion. Here we report the completion of this collection of alleles covering 600 essential yeast genes. This resource covers a larger gene repertoire than previous collections and provides a complementary set of strains suitable for single gene and genomic analyses. We use deep sequencing to characterize the amino acid changes leading to the ts phenotype in half of the alleles. We also use high-throughput approaches to describe the relative ts behavior of the alleles. Finally, we demonstrate the experimental usefulness of the collection in a high-content, functional genomic screen for ts alleles that increase spontaneous P-body formation. By increasing the number of alleles and improving the annotation, this ts collection will serve as a community resource for probing new aspects of biology for essential yeast genes. Copyright © 2015 Kofoed et al.

AR Expression in Breast Cancer CTCs Associates with Bone Metastases.

PubMed

Aceto, Nicola; Bardia, Aditya; Wittner, Ben S; Donaldson, Maria C; O'Keefe, Ryan; Engstrom, Amanda; Bersani, Francesca; Zheng, Yu; Comaills, Valentine; Niederhoffer, Kira; Zhu, Huili; Mackenzie, Olivia; Shioda, Toshi; Sgroi, Dennis; Kapur, Ravi; Ting, David T; Moy, Beverly; Ramaswamy, Sridhar; Toner, Mehmet; Haber, Daniel A; Maheswaran, Shyamala

2018-04-01

Molecular drivers underlying bone metastases in human cancer are not well understood, in part due to constraints in bone tissue sampling. Here, RNA sequencing was performed of circulating tumor cells (CTC) isolated from blood samples of women with metastatic estrogen receptor (ER) + breast cancer, comparing cases with progression in bone versus visceral organs. Among the activated cellular pathways in CTCs from bone-predominant breast cancer is androgen receptor (AR) signaling. AR gene expression is evident, as is its constitutively active splice variant AR-v7. AR expression within CTCs is correlated with the duration of treatment with aromatase inhibitors, suggesting that it contributes to acquired resistance to endocrine therapy. In an established breast cancer xenograft model, a bone-tropic derivative displays increased AR expression, whose genetic or pharmacologic suppression reduces metastases to bone but not to lungs. Together, these observations identify AR signaling in CTCs from women with bone-predominant ER + breast cancer, and provide a rationale for testing androgen inhibitors in this subset of patients. Implications: This study highlights a role for the AR in breast cancer bone metastasis, and suggests that therapeutic targeting of the AR may benefit patients with metastatic breast cancer. Mol Cancer Res; 16(4); 720-7. ©2018 AACR . ©2018 American Association for Cancer Research.

Galeterone and VNPT55 induce proteasomal degradation of AR/AR-V7, induce significant apoptosis via cytochrome c release and suppress growth of castration resistant prostate cancer xenografts in vivo

PubMed Central

Kwegyir-Afful, Andrew K.; Ramalingam, Senthilmurugan; Purushottamachar, Puranik; Ramamurthy, Vidya P.; Njar, Vincent C.O.

2015-01-01

Galeterone (Gal) is a first-in-class multi-target oral small molecule that will soon enter pivotal phase III clinical trials in castration resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) patients. Gal disrupts androgen receptor (AR) signaling via inhibition of CYP17, AR antagonism and AR degradation. Resistance to current therapy is attributed to up-regulation of full-length AR (fAR), splice variants AR (AR-Vs) and AR mutations. The effects of gal and VNPT55 were analyzed on f-AR and AR-Vs (AR-V7/ARv567es) in LNCaP, CWR22Rv1 and DU145 (transfected with AR-Vs) human PC cells in vitro and CRPC tumor xenografts. Galeterone/VNPT55 decreased fAR/AR-V7 mRNA levels and implicates Mdm2/CHIP enhanced ubiquitination of posttranslational modified receptors, targeting them for proteasomal degradation. Gal and VNPT55 also induced significant apoptosis in PC cells via increased Bax/Bcl2 ratio, cytochrome-c release with concomitant cleavage of caspase 3 and PARP. More importantly, gal and VNPT55 exhibited strong in vivo anti-CRPC activities, with no apparent host toxicities. This study demonstrate that gal and VNPT55 utilize cell-based mechanisms to deplete both fAR and AR-Vs. Importantly, the preclinical activity profiles, including profound apoptotic induction and inhibition of CRPC xenografts suggest that these agents offer considerable promise as new therapeutics for patients with CRPC and those resistant to current therapy. PMID:26196320

Peripheral subnuclear positioning suppresses Tcrb recombination and segregates Tcrb alleles from RAG2.

PubMed

Chan, Elizabeth A W; Teng, Grace; Corbett, Elizabeth; Choudhury, Kingshuk Roy; Bassing, Craig H; Schatz, David G; Krangel, Michael S

2013-11-26

Allelic exclusion requires that the two alleles at antigen-receptor loci attempt to recombine variable (V), diversity (D), and joining (J) gene segments [V(D)J recombination] asynchronously in nuclei of developing lymphocytes. It previously was shown that T-cell receptor β (Tcrb) alleles frequently and stochastically associate with the nuclear lamina and pericentromeric heterochromatin in CD4(-)CD8(-) thymocytes. Moreover, rearranged alleles were underrepresented at these locations. Here we used 3D immunofluorescence in situ hybridization to identify recently rearranged Tcrb alleles based on the accumulation of the DNA-repair protein 53BP1. We found that Tcrb alleles recombine asynchronously in double-negative thymocytes and that V(D)J recombination is suppressed on peripheral as compared with central Tcrb alleles. Moreover, the recombination events that did take place at the nuclear periphery preferentially occurred on Tcrb alleles that were partially dissociated from the nuclear lamina. To understand better the mechanism by which V(D)J recombination is suppressed at the nuclear periphery, we evaluated the subnuclear distribution of recombination-activating gene 2 (RAG2) protein. We found that RAG2 abundance was reduced at the nuclear periphery. Moreover, RAG2 was distributed differently from RNA polymerase II and histone H3K4 trimethylation. Our data suggest that the nuclear periphery suppresses V(D)J recombination, at least in part, by segregating Tcrb alleles from RAG proteins.

COMET-AR User's Manual: COmputational MEchanics Testbed with Adaptive Refinement

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moas, E. (Editor)

1997-01-01

The COMET-AR User's Manual provides a reference manual for the Computational Structural Mechanics Testbed with Adaptive Refinement (COMET-AR), a software system developed jointly by Lockheed Palo Alto Research Laboratory and NASA Langley Research Center under contract NAS1-18444. The COMET-AR system is an extended version of an earlier finite element based structural analysis system called COMET, also developed by Lockheed and NASA. The primary extensions are the adaptive mesh refinement capabilities and a new "object-like" database interface that makes COMET-AR easier to extend further. This User's Manual provides a detailed description of the user interface to COMET-AR from the viewpoint of a structural analyst.

Acoustic resonance spectroscopy (ARS): ARS300 operations manual, software version 2.01

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

NONE

Acoustic Resonance Spectroscopy (ARS) is a nondestructive evaluation technology developed at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. The ARS technique is a fast, safe, and nonintrusive technique that is particularly useful when a large number of objects need to be tested. Any physical object, whether solid, hollow, or fluid filled, has many modes of vibration. These modes of vibration, commonly referred to as the natural resonant modes or resonant frequencies, are determined by the object`s shape, size, and physical properties, such as elastic moduli, speed of sound, and density. If the object is mechanically excited at frequencies corresponding to its characteristicmore » natural vibrational modes, a resonance effect can be observed when small excitation energies produce large amplitude vibrations in the object. At other excitation frequencies, i.e., vibrational response of the object is minimal.« less

ARS leptogenesis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Drewes, M.; Garbrecht, B.; Hernández, P.; Kekic, M.; Lopez-Pavon, J.; Racker, J.; Rius, N.; Salvado, J.; Teresi, D.

2018-02-01

We review the current status of the leptogenesis scenario originally proposed by Akhmedov, Rubakov and Smirnov (ARS). It takes place in the parametric regime where the right-handed neutrinos are at the electroweak scale or below and the CP-violating effects are induced by the coherent superposition of different right-handed mass eigenstates. Two main theoretical approaches to derive quantum kinetic equations, the Hamiltonian time evolution as well as the Closed-Time-Path technique are presented, and we discuss their relations. For scenarios with two right-handed neutrinos, we chart the viable parameter space. Both, a Bayesian analysis, that determines the most likely configurations for viable leptogenesis given different variants of flat priors, and a determination of the maximally allowed mixing between the light, mostly left-handed, and heavy, mostly right-handed, neutrino states are discussed. Rephasing invariants are shown to be a useful tool to classify and to understand various distinct contributions to ARS leptogenesis that can dominate in different parametric regimes. While these analyses are carried out for the parametric regime where initial asymmetries are generated predominantly from lepton-number conserving, but flavor violating effects, we also review the contributions from lepton-number violating operators and identify the regions of parameter space where these are relevant.

The ChArMEx database

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferré, Hélène; Descloitres, Jacques; Fleury, Laurence; Boichard, Jean-Luc; Brissebrat, Guillaume; Focsa, Loredana; Henriot, Nicolas; Mastrorillo, Laurence; Mière, Arnaud; Vermeulen, Anne

2013-04-01

The Chemistry-Aerosol Mediterranean Experiment (ChArMEx, http://charmex.lsce.ipsl.fr/) aims at a scientific assessment of the present and future state of the atmospheric environment in the Mediterranean Basin, and of its impacts on the regional climate, air quality, and marine biogeochemistry. The project includes long term monitoring of environmental parameters, intensive field campaigns, use of satellite data and modelling studies. Therefore ChARMEx scientists produce and need to access a wide diversity of data. In this context, the objective of the database task is to organize data management, distribution system and services such as facilitating the exchange of information and stimulating the collaboration between researchers within the ChArMEx community, and beyond. The database relies on a strong collaboration between OMP and ICARE data centres and falls within the scope of the Mediterranean Integrated Studies at Regional And Locals Scales (MISTRALS) program data portal. All the data produced by or of interest for the ChArMEx community will be documented in the data catalogue and accessible through the database website: http://mistrals.sedoo.fr/ChArMEx. The database website offers different tools: - A registration procedure which enables any scientist to accept the data policy and apply for a user database account. - Forms to document observations or products that will be provided to the database in compliance with metadata international standards (ISO 19115-19139; INSPIRE; Global Change Master Directory Thesaurus). - A search tool to browse the catalogue using thematic, geographic and/or temporal criteria. - Sorted lists of the datasets by thematic keywords, by measured parameters, by instruments or by platform type. - A shopping-cart web interface to order in situ data files. At present datasets from the background monitoring station of Ersa, Cape Corsica and from the 2012 ChArMEx pre-campaign are available. - A user-friendly access to satellite products

Celastrol Induces Autophagy by Targeting AR/miR-101 in Prostate Cancer Cells

PubMed Central

Guo, Jianquan; Huang, Xuemei; Wang, Hui; Yang, Huanjie

2015-01-01

Autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved process responsible for the degradation and recycling of cytoplasmic components through autolysosomes. Targeting AR axis is a standard strategy for prostate cancer treatment; however, the role of AR in autophagic processes is still not fully understood. In the present study, we found that AR played a negative role in AR degrader celastrol-induced autophagy. Knockdown of AR in AR-positive prostate cancer cells resulted in enhanced autophagy. Ectopic expression of AR in AR-negative prostate cancer cells, or gain of function of the AR signaling in AR-positive cells, led to suppression of autophagy. Since miR-101 is an inhibitor of autophagy and its expression was decreased along with AR in the process of celastrol-induced autophagy, we hypothesize that AR inhibits autophagy through transactivation of miR-101. AR binding site was defined in the upstream of miR-101 gene by luciferase reporter and ChIP assays. MiR-101 expression correlated with AR status in prostate cancer cell lines. The inhibition of celastrol-induced autophagy by AR was compromised by blocking miR-101; while transfection of miR-101 led to inhibition of celastrol-induced autophagy in spite of AR depletion. Furthermore, mutagenesis of the AR binding site in miR-101 gene led to decreased suppression of autophagy by AR. Finally, autophagy inhibition by miR-101 mimic was found to enhance the cytotoxic effect of celastrol in prostate cancer cells. Our results demonstrate that AR inhibits autophagy via transactivation of miR-101, thus combination of miR-101 mimics with celastrol may represent a promising therapeutic approach for treating prostate cancer. PMID:26473737

Intrinsic MYH7 expression regulation contributes to tissue level allelic imbalance in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

PubMed

Montag, Judith; Syring, Mandy; Rose, Julia; Weber, Anna-Lena; Ernstberger, Pia; Mayer, Anne-Kathrin; Becker, Edgar; Keyser, Britta; Dos Remedios, Cristobal; Perrot, Andreas; van der Velden, Jolanda; Francino, Antonio; Navarro-Lopez, Francesco; Ho, Carolyn Yung; Brenner, Bernhard; Kraft, Theresia

2017-08-01

HCM, the most common inherited cardiac disease, is mainly caused by mutations in sarcomeric genes. More than a third of the patients are heterozygous for mutations in the MYH7 gene encoding for the β-myosin heavy chain. In HCM-patients, expression of the mutant and the wildtype allele can be unequal, thus leading to fractions of mutant and wildtype mRNA and protein which deviate from 1:1. This so-called allelic imbalance was detected in whole tissue samples but also in individual cells. There is evidence that the severity of HCM not only depends on the functional effect of the mutation itself, but also on the fraction of mutant protein in the myocardial tissue. Allelic imbalance has been shown to occur in a broad range of genes. Therefore, we aimed to examine whether the MYH7-alleles are intrinsically expressed imbalanced or whether the allelic imbalance is solely associated with the disease. We compared the expression of MYH7-alleles in non-HCM donors and in HCM-patients with different MYH7-missense mutations. In the HCM-patients, we identified imbalanced as well as equal expression of both alleles. Also at the protein level, allelic imbalance was determined. Most interestingly, we also discovered allelic imbalance and balance in non-HCM donors. Our findings therefore strongly indicate that apart from mutation-specific mechanisms, also non-HCM associated allelic-mRNA expression regulation may account for the allelic imbalance of the MYH7 gene in HCM-patients. Since the relative amount of mutant mRNA and protein or the extent of allelic imbalance has been associated with the severity of HCM, individual analysis of the MYH7-allelic expression may provide valuable information for the prognosis of each patient.

The effect of thermal resetting and recrystallisation on white mica 40Ar/39Ar ages during retrograde metamorphism on Syros, Greece

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Uunk, Bertram; Wijbrans, Jan; Brouwer, Fraukje

2015-04-01

White mica 40Ar/39Ar dating is a proven powerful tool for constraining timing of metamorphism, deformation and exhumation. However, in high-pressure metamorphic rocks, dating often results in wide age ranges which are not in agreement with constraints from other isotopic systems, indicating that geological and chemical processes complicate straightforward 40Ar/39Ar dating. In this research project, white mica ages from rocks of the Cycladic Blueschist Unit on Syros, Greece with contrasting rheology and strain mechanisms are compared, in order to better understand the role of deformation, recrystallization and fluid flow on 40Ar/39Ar ages of white mica during retrograde metamorphism. Resulting ages vary along different sections on the island, inconsistent with other isotopic constraints on eclogite-blueschist metamorphism (55-50 Ma) and greenschist overprinting (41-30 Ma). Two end-member models are possible: 1) Results represent continuous crystallization of white mica while moving from blueschist to greenschist conditions in the metamorphic P-T loop, or 2) white mica equilibrated in eclogite-blueschist conditions and their diffusion systematics were progressively perturbed during greenschist overprinting. The single grain fusion analyses yielded contrasting age distributions, which indicate contrasts in degree of re-equilibration during retrograde metamorphism. Step wise heating of larger grain populations resulted in flat plateau shapes, providing no evidence for partial resetting. Electron microprobe measurements of Si per formula unit, as a proxy for pressure during crystallisation, do not explain age variation within sections or on the island scale. The previously unreported north-south age trend and age ranges per sample, as shown only in the 40Ar/39Ar system of the metapelitic and marble lithologies, contains key information that will allow us to test between different scenarios for age formation. Excess argon infiltration at this stage seems to have been of

Investigating the relationship between FMR1 allele length and cognitive ability in children: a subtle effect of the normal allele range on the normal ability range?

PubMed

Loat, C S; Craig, G; Plomin, R; Craig, I W

2006-09-01

The FMR1 gene contains a trinucleotide repeat tract which can expand from a normal size of around 30 repeats to over 200 repeats, causing mental retardation (Fragile X Syndrome). Evidence suggests that premutation males (55-200 repeats) are susceptible to a late-onset tremor/ataxia syndrome and females to premature ovarian failure, and that intermediate alleles ( approximately 41-55 repeats) and premutations may be in excess in samples with special educational needs. We explored the relationship between FMR1 allele length and cognitive ability in 621 low ability and control children assessed at 4 and 7 years, as well as 122 students with high IQ. The low and high ability and control samples showed no between-group differences in incidence of longer alleles. In males there was a significant negative correlation between allele length and non-verbal ability at 4 years (p = 0.048), academic achievement in maths (p = 0.003) and English (p = 0.011) at 7 years, and IQ in the high ability group (p = 0.018). There was a significant negative correlation between allele length and a standardised score for IQ and general cognitive ability at age 7 in the entire male sample (p = 0.002). This suggests that, within the normal spectrum of allele length, increased repeat numbers may have a limiting influence on cognitive performance.

Integral Field Spectroscopy of Supernova Remnant 1E0102–7219 Reveals Fast-moving Hydrogen and Sulfur-rich Ejecta

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seitenzahl, Ivo R.; Vogt, Frédéric P. A.; Terry, Jason P.; Ghavamian, Parviz; Dopita, Michael A.; Ruiter, Ashley J.; Sukhbold, Tuguldur

2018-02-01

We study the optical emission from heavy element ejecta in the oxygen-rich young supernova remnant 1E 0102.2–7219 (1E 0102) in the Small Magellanic Cloud. We have used the Multi-Unit Spectroscopic Explorer optical integral field spectrograph at the Very Large Telescope on Cerro Paranal and the wide field spectrograph (WiFeS) at the ANU 2.3 m telescope at Siding Spring Observatory to obtain deep observations of 1E 0102. Our observations cover the entire extent of the remnant from below 3500 Å to 9350 Å. Our observations unambiguously reveal the presence of fast-moving ejecta emitting in [S II], [S III], [Ar III], and [Cl II]. The sulfur-rich ejecta appear more asymmetrically distributed compared to oxygen or neon, a product of carbon burning. In addition to the forbidden line emission from products of oxygen burning (S, Ar, Cl), we have also discovered Hα and Hβ emission from several knots of low surface brightness, fast-moving ejecta. The presence of fast-moving hydrogen points toward a progenitor that had not entirely shed its hydrogen envelope prior to the supernova. The explosion that gave rise to 1E 0102 is therefore commensurate with a Type IIb supernova.

AR-v7 protein expression is regulated by protein kinase and phosphatase

PubMed Central

Li, Yinan; Xie, Ning; Gleave, Martin E.; Rennie, Paul S.; Dong, Xuesen

2015-01-01

Failure of androgen-targeted therapy and progression of castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) are often attributed to sustained expression of the androgen receptor (AR) and its major splice variant, AR-v7. Although the new generation of anti-androgens such as enzalutamide effectively inhibits AR activity, accumulating pre-clinical and clinical evidence indicates that AR-v7 remains constitutively active in driving CRPC progression. However, molecular mechanisms which control AR-v7 protein expression remain unclear. We apply multiple prostate cancer cell models to demonstrate that enzalutamide induces differential activation of protein phosphatase-1 (PP-1) and Akt kinase depending on the gene context of cancer cells. The balance between PP-1 and Akt activation governs AR phosphorylation status and activation of the Mdm2 ubiquitin ligase. Mdm2 recognizes phosphorylated serine 213 of AR-v7, and induces AR-v7 ubiquitination and protein degradation. These findings highlight the decisive roles of PP-1 and Akt for AR-v7 protein expression and activities when AR is functionally blocked. PMID:26378044

Population-specific documentation of pharmacogenomic markers and their allelic frequencies in FINDbase.

PubMed

Georgitsi, Marianthi; Viennas, Emmanouil; Gkantouna, Vassiliki; Christodoulopoulou, Elena; Zagoriti, Zoi; Tafrali, Christina; Ntellos, Fotios; Giannakopoulou, Olga; Boulakou, Athanassia; Vlahopoulou, Panagiota; Kyriacou, Eva; Tsaknakis, John; Tsakalidis, Athanassios; Poulas, Konstantinos; Tzimas, Giannis; Patrinos, George P

2011-01-01

Population and ethnic group-specific allele frequencies of pharmacogenomic markers are poorly documented and not systematically collected in structured data repositories. We developed the Frequency of Inherited Disorders Pharmacogenomics database (FINDbase-PGx), a separate module of the FINDbase, aiming to systematically document pharmacogenomic allele frequencies in various populations and ethnic groups worldwide. We critically collected and curated 214 scientific articles reporting pharmacogenomic markers allele frequencies in various populations and ethnic groups worldwide. Subsequently, in order to host the curated data, support data visualization and data mining, we developed a website application, utilizing Microsoft™ PivotViewer software. Curated allelic frequency data pertaining to 144 pharmacogenomic markers across 14 genes, representing approximately 87,000 individuals from 150 populations worldwide, are currently included in FINDbase-PGx. A user-friendly query interface allows for easy data querying, based on numerous content criteria, such as population, ethnic group, geographical region, gene, drug and rare allele frequency. FINDbase-PGx is a comprehensive database, which, unlike other pharmacogenomic knowledgebases, fulfills the much needed requirement to systematically document pharmacogenomic allelic frequencies in various populations and ethnic groups worldwide.

Peripheral subnuclear positioning suppresses Tcrb recombination and segregates Tcrb alleles from RAG2

PubMed Central

Chan, Elizabeth A. W.; Teng, Grace; Corbett, Elizabeth; Choudhury, Kingshuk Roy; Bassing, Craig H.; Schatz, David G.; Krangel, Michael S.

2013-01-01

Allelic exclusion requires that the two alleles at antigen-receptor loci attempt to recombine variable (V), diversity (D), and joining (J) gene segments [V(D)J recombination] asynchronously in nuclei of developing lymphocytes. It previously was shown that T-cell receptor β (Tcrb) alleles frequently and stochastically associate with the nuclear lamina and pericentromeric heterochromatin in CD4−CD8− thymocytes. Moreover, rearranged alleles were underrepresented at these locations. Here we used 3D immunofluorescence in situ hybridization to identify recently rearranged Tcrb alleles based on the accumulation of the DNA-repair protein 53BP1. We found that Tcrb alleles recombine asynchronously in double-negative thymocytes and that V(D)J recombination is suppressed on peripheral as compared with central Tcrb alleles. Moreover, the recombination events that did take place at the nuclear periphery preferentially occurred on Tcrb alleles that were partially dissociated from the nuclear lamina. To understand better the mechanism by which V(D)J recombination is suppressed at the nuclear periphery, we evaluated the subnuclear distribution of recombination-activating gene 2 (RAG2) protein. We found that RAG2 abundance was reduced at the nuclear periphery. Moreover, RAG2 was distributed differently from RNA polymerase II and histone H3K4 trimethylation. Our data suggest that the nuclear periphery suppresses V(D)J recombination, at least in part, by segregating Tcrb alleles from RAG proteins. PMID:24218622

76 FR 73505 - Establishment of Class E Airspace; Nashville, AR

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-11-29

...-0497; Airspace Docket No. 11-ASW-4] Establishment of Class E Airspace; Nashville, AR AGENCY: Federal... for Nashville, AR, to accommodate new Area Navigation (RNAV) Standard Instrument Approach Procedures... a notice of proposed rulemaking to amend Class E airspace for Nashville, AR, creating additional...

75 FR 29655 - Amendment of Class E Airspace; Batesville, AR

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-05-27

...-1177; Airspace Docket No. 09-ASW-34] Amendment of Class E Airspace; Batesville, AR AGENCY: Federal... Batesville, AR. Decommissioning of the Independence County non-directional beacon (NDB) at Batesville Regional Airport, Batesville, AR, has made this action necessary to enhance the safety and management of...

75 FR 68416 - Establishment of Class E Airspace; Berryville, AR

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-11-08

...-0690; Airspace Docket No. 10-ASW-2] Establishment of Class E Airspace; Berryville, AR AGENCY: Federal... for Berryville, AR, to accommodate Area Navigation (RNAV) Standard Instrument Approach Procedures (SIAP) at Carroll County Airport, Berryville, AR. The FAA is taking this action to enhance the safety...

Contribution of the 40Ar/39Ar method to improve Middle-Pleistocene archaeological/palaeontological sites from the Italian Peninsula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nomade, Sebastien, ,, Dr.; Pereira, MSc. Alison; voinchet, Pierre, ,, Dr.; Bahain, Jean-Jacques, ,, Dr.; Aureli, Daniele, ,, Dr.; Arzarello, Marta, ,, Dr.; Anzidei, Anna-Paola, ,, Dr.; Biddittu, Italo, ,, Dr.; Bulgarelli, Maria-Grazia, ,, Dr.; Falguères, Christophe, ,, Dr.; Giaccio, Biagio, ,, Dr.; Guillou, Hervé, ,, Dr.; Manzi, Gorgio, ,, Dr.; Moncel, Marie-Hélène, ,, Dr.; Nicoud, Elisa, ,, Dr.; Pagli, Maria, ,, Dr.; Parenti, Fabio, ,, Dr.; Peretto, Carlo, ,, Dr.; Piperno, Marcello, ,, Dr.; Rocca, Roxane, ,, Dr.

2017-04-01

European Middle-Pleistocene archaeological and/or paleontological sites lack a unified and precise chronological framework. Despite recent efforts mostly focused on methods such as OSL, ESR/U-series or cosmogenic nuclides, the age of numerous sites from this period fundamentally still relies on qualitative and speculative palaeoenvironmental and/or palaeontological/palaeoanthropological considerations. The lack of robust chronologies, along with the scarcity of human fossils, prevent coherent correlations between European sites which in turn limits our understanding of human diffusion dynamics, understand techno-cultural evolution or correlate archaeological sites with palaeoclimatic and environmental records. With the goal of providing an accurate and precise chronological framework based on a multi-method approach, a research network including geochronologists, archaeologist and paleoanthropologists from various French and Italian institutions launched in 2010 a wide study of Middle-Pleistocene archaeological sites of central and southern Italy. This study combining the 39Ar/40Ar method with palaeo-dosimetric methods applied to European sites in the age range of 700 ka to 300 ka is unprecedented. In parallel, a large effort has been done to improve the regional Middle-Pleistocene tephrostratigraphic database through a massive application of both high-precision 40Ar/39Ar geochronological and geochemical investigations. We illustrate our approach and results in addressing several key-sites such as Notarchirico, Valle Giumentina; Ceprano-Campogrande and La Polledrara di Cecanibbio. The accurate and precise chronological framework we built permits us to replace all the investigated archaeological and palaeontological records into a coherent climatic and environmental context. Furthermore, our work provides the opportunity to compare lithic industries from a technical and evolutionary point of view within a homogeneous temporal frame. These preliminary results border

HLA-B27 allele frequency in Sri Lankan patients with spondyloarthritides.

PubMed

Kidnapillai, S; Sirisena, N D; Dissanayake, V H

2016-06-01

This preliminary study aims to describe the HLA-B27 allele frequency in Sri Lankan patients with spondyloarthritides (SA). An anonymised database of 373 Sri Lankan patients with SA referred for HLA-B27 testing was retrospectively analysed. Eighty five (22.8%) patients were positive for the HLA-B27 allele. A male preponderance was observed among the positives. The HLA-B27 allele frequency in this sample of patients with SA was relatively low compared to published studies in other populations. Further research is needed to identify the predominant subtypes of the allele to determine which subtypes are the most prevalent in a larger sample of Sri Lankan patients with SA, and to define their association with the specific types of SA.

Publications - AR 2011 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

Science.gov Websites

., and Clough, J.G., 2012, Energy Resources FY12 project descriptions, p. 30-36. AR 2011-BWerdon, M.B , Simone, and Weakland, J.R., 2012, Geologic Communications FY12 project descriptions, p. 70-78. AR 2011

Extensive variation between tissues in allele specific expression in an outbred mammal.

PubMed

Chamberlain, Amanda J; Vander Jagt, Christy J; Hayes, Benjamin J; Khansefid, Majid; Marett, Leah C; Millen, Catriona A; Nguyen, Thuy T T; Goddard, Michael E

2015-11-23

Allele specific gene expression (ASE), with the paternal allele more expressed than the maternal allele or vice versa, appears to be a common phenomenon in humans and mice. In other species the extent of ASE is unknown, and even in humans and mice there are several outstanding questions. These include; to what extent is ASE tissue specific? how often does the direction of allele expression imbalance reverse between tissues? how often is only one of the two alleles expressed? is there a genome wide bias towards expression of the paternal or maternal allele; and finally do genes that are nearby on a chromosome share the same direction of ASE? Here we use gene expression data (RNASeq) from 18 tissues from a single cow to investigate each of these questions in turn, and then validate some of these findings in two tissues from 20 cows. Between 40 and 100 million sequence reads were generated per tissue across three replicate samples for each of the eighteen tissues from the single cow (the discovery dataset). A bovine gene expression atlas was created (the first from RNASeq data), and differentially expressed genes in each tissue were identified. To analyse ASE, we had access to unambiguously phased genotypes for all heterozygous variants in the cow's whole genome sequence, where these variants were homozygous in the whole genome sequence of her sire, and as a result we were able to map reads to parental genomes, to determine SNP and genes showing ASE in each tissue. In total 25,251 heterozygous SNP within 7985 genes were tested for ASE in at least one tissue. ASE was pervasive, 89 % of genes tested had significant ASE in at least one tissue. This large proportion of genes displaying ASE was confirmed in the two tissues in a validation dataset. For individual tissues the proportion of genes showing significant ASE varied from as low as 8-16 % of those tested in thymus to as high as 71-82 % of those tested in lung. There were a number of cases where the direction of

75 FR 29656 - Amendment of Class E Airspace; Magnolia, AR

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-05-27

...-1179; Airspace Docket No. 09-ASW-35] Amendment of Class E Airspace; Magnolia, AR AGENCY: Federal... airspace for Magnolia, AR. Decommissioning of the Magnolia non-directional beacon (NDB) at Magnolia Municipal Airport, Magnolia, AR has made this action necessary to enhance the safety and management of...

75 FR 37291 - Amendment of Class E Airspace; Osceola, AR

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-06-29

...-1183; Airspace Docket No. 09-ASW-38] Amendment of Class E Airspace; Osceola, AR AGENCY: Federal... Osceola, AR. Decommissioning of the Osceola non-directional beacon (NDB) at Osceola Municipal Airport has... rulemaking to amend Class E airspace for Osceola, AR, reconfiguring controlled airspace at Osceola Municipal...

[A new human leukocyte antigen class I allele, HLA- B*52:11].

PubMed

Li, Xiao-feng; Zhang, Xu; Zhang, Kun-lian; Chen, Yang; Liu, Xian-zhi; Li, Jian-ping

2011-12-01

To identify and confirm a novel HLA allele. A new human leukocyte antigen class I allele was found during routine HLA genotyping by polymerase chain reaction-sequence specific oligonucleotide probes (PCR-SSOP) and sequencing-based typing (SBT). The novel HLA-B*52 allele was identical to B*52:01:01 with an exception of one base substitution at position 583 of exon 3 where a C was changed to T resulting in codon 195 changed from CAC(H) to TAC(Y). A new HLA class I allele, B*52:11, is identified, and is named officially by the WHO Nomenclature Committee.

Allele Surfing Promotes Microbial Adaptation from Standing Variation

PubMed Central

Gralka, Matti; Stiewe, Fabian; Farrell, Fred; Möbius, Wolfram; Waclaw, Bartek; Hallatschek, Oskar

2016-01-01

The coupling of ecology and evolution during range expansions enables mutations to establish at expanding range margins and reach high frequencies. This phenomenon, called allele surfing, is thought to have caused revolutions in the gene pool of many species, most evidently in microbial communities. It has remained unclear, however, under which conditions allele surfing promotes or hinders adaptation. Here, using microbial experiments and simulations, we show that, starting with standing adaptive variation, range expansions generate a larger increase in mean fitness than spatially uniform population expansions. The adaptation gain results from ‘soft’ selective sweeps emerging from surfing beneficial mutations. The rate of these surfing events is shown to sensitively depend on the strength of genetic drift, which varies among strains and environmental conditions. More generally, allele surfing promotes the rate of adaptation per biomass produced, which could help developing biofilms and other resource-limited populations to cope with environmental challenges. PMID:27307400

40Ar/39Ar geochronology, paleomagnetism, and evolution of the Boring volcanic field, Oregon and Washington, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fleck, Robert J.; Hagstrum, Jonathan T.; Calvert, Andrew T.; Evarts, Russell C.; Conrey, Richard M.

2014-01-01

The 40Ar/39Ar investigations of a large suite of fine-grained basaltic rocks of the Boring volcanic field (BVF), Oregon and Washington (USA), yielded two primary results. (1) Using age control from paleomagnetic polarity, stratigraphy, and available plateau ages, 40Ar/39Ar recoil model ages are defined that provide reliable age results in the absence of an age plateau, even in cases of significant Ar redistribution. (2) Grouping of eruptive ages either by period of activity or by composition defines a broadly northward progression of BVF volcanism during latest Pliocene and Pleistocene time that reflects rates consistent with regional plate movements. Based on the frequency distribution of measured ages, periods of greatest volcanic activity within the BVF occurred 2.7–2.2 Ma, 1.7–0.5 Ma, and 350–50 ka. Grouped by eruptive episode, geographic distributions of samples define a series of northeast-southwest–trending strips whose centers migrate from south-southeast to north-northwest at an average rate of 9.3 ± 1.6 mm/yr. Volcanic activity in the western part of the BVF migrated more rapidly than that to the east, causing trends of eruptive episodes to progress in an irregular, clockwise sense. The K2O and CaO values of dated samples exhibit well-defined temporal trends, decreasing and increasing, respectively, with age of eruption. Divided into two groups by K2O, the centers of these two distributions define a northward migration rate similar to that determined from eruptive age groups. This age and compositional migration rate of Boring volcanism is similar to the clockwise rotation rate of the Oregon Coast Range with respect to North America, and might reflect localized extension on the trailing edge of that rotating crustal block.

Absolute timing of sulfide and gold mineralization: A comparison of Re-Os molybdenite and Ar-Ar mica methods from the Tintina Gold Belt, Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Selby, D.; Creaser, R.A.; Hart, C.J.R.; Rombach, C.S.; Thompson, J.F.H.; Smith, Moira T.; Bakke, A.A.; Goldfarb, R.J.

2002-01-01

New Re-Os molybdenite dates from two lode gold deposits of the Tintina Gold Belt, Alaska, provide direct timing constraints for sulfide and gold mineralization. At Fort Knox, the Re-Os molybdenite date is identical to the U-Pb zircon age for the host intrusion, supporting an intrusive-related origin for the deposit. However, 40Ar/39Ar dates from hydrothermal and igneous mica are considerably younger. At the Pogo deposit, Re-Os molybdenite dates are also much older than 40Ar/39Ar dates from hydrothermal mica, but dissimilar to the age of local granites. These age relationships indicate that the Re-Os molybdenite method records the timing of sulfide and gold mineralization, whereas much younger 40Ar/39Ar dates are affected by post-ore thermal events, slow cooling, and/or systemic analytical effects. The results of this study complement a growing body of evidence to indicate that the Re-Os chronometer in molybdenite can be an accurate and robust tool for establishing timing relations in ore systems.

Androgen receptor (AR) pathophysiological roles in androgen-related diseases in skin, bone/muscle, metabolic syndrome and neuron/immune systems: lessons learned from mice lacking AR in specific cells

PubMed Central

Chang, Chawnshang; Yeh, Shuyuan; Lee, Soo Ok; Chang, Ta-min

2013-01-01

The androgen receptor (AR) is expressed ubiquitously and plays a variety of roles in a vast number of physiological and pathophysiological processes. Recent studies of AR knockout (ARKO) mouse models, particularly the cell type- or tissue-specific ARKO models, have uncovered many AR cell type- or tissue-specific pathophysiological roles in mice, which otherwise would not be delineated from conventional castration and androgen insensitivity syndrome studies. Thus, the AR in various specific cell types plays pivotal roles in production and maturation of immune cells, bone mineralization, and muscle growth. In metabolism, the ARs in brain, particularly in the hypothalamus, and the liver appear to participate in regulation of insulin sensitivity and glucose homeostasis. The AR also plays key roles in cutaneous wound healing and cardiovascular diseases, including atherosclerosis and abdominal aortic aneurysm. This article will discuss the results obtained from the total, cell type-, or tissue-specific ARKO models. The understanding of AR cell type- or tissue-specific physiological and pathophysiological roles using these in vivo mouse models will provide useful information in uncovering AR roles in humans and eventually help us to develop better therapies via targeting the AR or its downstream signaling molecules to combat androgen/AR-related diseases. PMID:24653668

Structure, replication efficiency and fragility of yeast ARS elements.

PubMed

Dhar, Manoj K; Sehgal, Shelly; Kaul, Sanjana

2012-05-01

DNA replication in eukaryotes initiates at specific sites known as origins of replication, or replicators. These replication origins occur throughout the genome, though the propensity of their occurrence depends on the type of organism. In eukaryotes, zones of initiation of replication spanning from about 100 to 50,000 base pairs have been reported. The characteristics of eukaryotic replication origins are best understood in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, where some autonomously replicating sequences, or ARS elements, confer origin activity. ARS elements are short DNA sequences of a few hundred base pairs, identified by their efficiency at initiating a replication event when cloned in a plasmid. ARS elements, although structurally diverse, maintain a basic structure composed of three domains, A, B and C. Domain A is comprised of a consensus sequence designated ACS (ARS consensus sequence), while the B domain has the DNA unwinding element and the C domain is important for DNA-protein interactions. Although there are ∼400 ARS elements in the yeast genome, not all of them are active origins of replication. Different groups within the genus Saccharomyces have ARS elements as components of replication origin. The present paper provides a comprehensive review of various aspects of ARSs, starting from their structural conservation to sequence thermodynamics. All significant and conserved functional sequence motifs within different types of ARS elements have been extensively described. Issues like silencing at ARSs, their inherent fragility and factors governing their replication efficiency have also been addressed. Progress in understanding crucial components associated with the replication machinery and timing at these ARS elements is discussed in the section entitled "The replicon revisited". Copyright © 2012 Institut Pasteur. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

[Allelic variation at high-molecular-weight glutenin subunit loci in Aegilops biuncialis Vis].

PubMed

Kozub, N A; Sozinov, I A; Ksinias, I N; Sozinov, A A

2011-09-01

Alleles at the high-molecular-weight glutenin subunit loci Glu-U1 and Glu-M(b)1 were analyzed in the tetraploid species Aegilops biuncialis (UUM(b)M(b)). The material for the investigation included the collection of 39 accessions of Ae. biuncialis from Ukraine (the Crimea), one Hellenic accession, one accession of unknown origin, F2 seeds from different crosses, as well as samples from natural populations from the Crimea. Ae. umbellulata and Ae. comosa accessions were used to allocate components of the HMW glutenin subunit patterns of Ae. biuncialis to U or M(b) genomes. Eight alleles were identified at the Glu-U1 locus and ten alleles were revealed at the Glu-M(b) 1 locus. Among alleles at the Glu-M(b) 1 locus ofAe. biuncialis there were two alleles controlling the y-type subunit only and one allele encoding the x-subunit only.

A phase one AR/C system design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kachmar, Peter M.; Polutchko, Robert J.; Matusky, Martin; Chu, William; Jackson, William; Montez, Moises

1991-01-01

The Phase One AR&C System Design integrates an evolutionary design based on the legacy of previous mission successes, flight tested components from manned Rendezvous and Proximity Operations (RPO) space programs, and additional AR&C components validated using proven methods. The Phase One system has a modular, open architecture with the standardized interfaces proposed for Space Station Freedom system architecture.

Accelerated hematopoietic syndrome after radiation doses bridging hematopoietic (H-ARS) and gastrointestinal (GI-ARS) acute radiation syndrome: early hematological changes and systemic inflammatory response syndrome in minipig.

PubMed

Moroni, Maria; Elliott, Thomas B; Deutz, Nicolaas E; Olsen, Cara H; Owens, Rossitsa; Christensen, Christine; Lombardini, Eric D; Whitnall, Mark H

2014-05-01

To characterize acute radiation syndrome (ARS) sequelae at doses intermediate between the bone marrow (H-ARS) and full gastrointestinal (GI-ARS) syndrome. Male minipigs, approximately 5 months old, 9-12 kg in weight, were irradiated with Cobalt-60 (total body, bilateral gamma irradiation, 0.6 Gy/min). Endpoints were 10-day survival, gastrointestinal histology, plasma citrulline, bacterial translocation, vomiting, diarrhea, vital signs, systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), febrile neutropenia (FN). We exposed animals to doses (2.2-5.0 Gy) above those causing H-ARS (1.6-2.0 Gy), and evaluated development of ARS. Compared to what was observed during H-ARS (historical data: Moroni et al. 2011a , 2011c ), doses above 2 Gy produced signs of increasingly severe pulmonary damage, faster deterioration of clinical conditions, and faster increases in levels of C-reactive protein (CRP). In the range of 4.6-5.0 Gy, animals died by day 9-10; signs of the classic GI syndrome, as measured by diarrhea, vomiting and bacterial translocation, did not occur. At doses above 2 Gy we observed transient reduction in circulating citrulline levels, and animals exhibited earlier depletion of blood elements and faster onset of SIRS and FN. An accelerated hematopoietic subsyndrome (AH-ARS) is observed at radiation doses between those producing H-ARS and GI-ARS. It is characterized by early onset of SIRS and FN, and greater lung damage, compared to H-ARS.

Protective effect of the APOE-e3 allele in Alzheimer's disease

PubMed Central

de-Almada, B.V.P.; de-Almeida, L.D.; Camporez, D.; de-Moraes, M.V.D.; Morelato, R.L.; Perrone, A.M.S.; Belcavello, L.; Louro, I.D.; de-Paula, F.

2011-01-01

Although several alleles of susceptibility to Alzheimer's disease (AD) have been studied in the last decades, few polymorphisms have been considered as risk factors for the disease. Among them, the APOE-e4 allele appears to be the major genetic risk factor for the onset of the disease. However, it is important to confirm the potential susceptibility of these genetic variants in different populations in order to establish a genetic profile for the disease in specific communities. This study analyzed the APOE polymorphisms regarding susceptibility to AD in a sample of 264 individuals (primarily Caucasians; 82 cases and 182 controls) in the population from Vitória, ES, Brazil, by PCR restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) methods. The patients were selected according to clinical criteria for probable AD. Whereas the e4 allele showed statistically significant positive association with susceptibility to AD (OR = 3.01, 95%CI = 1.96-4.61; P < 0.0001), the e2 allele did not. The results of the e4 allele confirm the role of this polymorphism as a risk factor for AD in the sample studied as observed in other populations. Although the e3 allele has been considered neutral in several studies, our results suggest that it acts as a protective factor against AD in the population studied (OR = 0.46, 95%CI = 0.30-0.67; P < 0.0001). This study may provide a new insight into the role of the APOE-e3 allele in the etiology of AD and might help to estabilish a profile of risk for AD in the population from Vitória, ES. PMID:22068907

On the 40Ar/39Ar Dating of Low-Potassium Ocean Crust Basalt from IODP Expedition 349, South China Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koppers, A. A. P.

2014-12-01

Accurate age dates for the basement rocks in the South China Sea (SCS) basins were lacking before the execution of International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Expedition 349 in early 2014. This left a large margin of error in estimated opening ages for the SCS and rendered various hypotheses regarding its opening mechanism and history untested, hampering our understanding of East Asian tectonic and paleoenvironmental evolution. Therefore, high-precision 40Ar/39Ar age dating lies at the heart of Expedition 349, which in particular aimed to determine the timing of the start and cessation of seafloor spreading in the SCS. In addition, the recovery of a complete seamount apron section at Site U1431 allows 40Ar/39Ar dating of abundantly present plagioclase and biotite crystals to help establish a detailed chronology of the sedimentary and volcaniclastic sequences cored. Here we present the first 40Ar/39Ar incremental heating ages on the low-potassium (~0.1-0.2 wt% K2O) and the least altered (loss on ignition < 1.5%) mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB) from the SCS. Plagioclase and groundmass samples were prepared using conventional mineral separation techniques, acid-leaching and hand-picking. Analyses were carried out using a new ARGUS-VI multi-collector noble gas mass spectrometer. Ages are expected to have precisions ranging between 0.1-0.3 Ma (2σ), which will allow us to precisely and accurately date the final emplacement of basalts at Sites U1431, U1433 and U1434 in the SCS basin, just prior to the cessation of spreading as all sites were slightly offset from the relict spreading center.

Multimodal actions of the phytochemical sulforaphane suppress both AR and AR-V7 in 22Rv1 cells: Advocating a potent pharmaceutical combination against castration-resistant prostate cancer.

PubMed