Renal tubular ACE-mediated tubular injury is the major contributor to microalbuminuria in early diabetic nephropathy.

PubMed

Eriguchi, Masahiro; Lin, Mercury; Yamashita, Michifumi; Zhao, Tuantuan V; Khan, Zakir; Bernstein, Ellen A; Gurley, Susan B; Gonzalez-Villalobos, Romer A; Bernstein, Kenneth E; Giani, Jorge F

2018-04-01

Diabetic nephropathy is a major cause of end-stage renal disease in developed countries. While angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors are used to treat diabetic nephropathy, how intrarenal ACE contributes to diabetic renal injury is uncertain. Here, two mouse models with different patterns of renal ACE expression were studied to determine the specific contribution of tubular vs. glomerular ACE to early diabetic nephropathy: it-ACE mice, which make endothelial ACE but lack ACE expression by renal tubular epithelium, and ACE 3/9 mice, which lack endothelial ACE and only express renal ACE in tubular epithelial cells. The absence of endothelial ACE normalized the glomerular filtration rate and endothelial injury in diabetic ACE 3/9 mice. However, these mice developed tubular injury and albuminuria and displayed low renal levels of megalin that were similar to those observed in diabetic wild-type mice. In diabetic it-ACE mice, despite hyperfiltration, the absence of renal tubular ACE greatly reduced tubulointerstitial injury and albuminuria and increased renal megalin expression compared with diabetic wild-type and diabetic ACE 3/9 mice. These findings demonstrate that endothelial ACE is a central regulator of the glomerular filtration rate while tubular ACE is a key player in the development of tubular injury and albuminuria. These data suggest that tubular injury, rather than hyperfiltration, is the main cause of microalbuminuria in early diabetic nephropathy.

Gut Contents as Direct Indicators for Trophic Relationships in the Cambrian Marine Ecosystem

PubMed Central

Vannier, Jean

2012-01-01

Present-day ecosystems host a huge variety of organisms that interact and transfer mass and energy via a cascade of trophic levels. When and how this complex machinery was established remains largely unknown. Although exceptionally preserved biotas clearly show that Early Cambrian animals had already acquired functionalities that enabled them to exploit a wide range of food resources, there is scant direct evidence concerning their diet and exact trophic relationships. Here I describe the gut contents of Ottoia prolifica, an abundant priapulid worm from the middle Cambrian (Stage 5) Burgess Shale biota. I identify the undigested exoskeletal remains of a wide range of small invertebrates that lived at or near the water sediment interface such as hyolithids, brachiopods, different types of arthropods, polychaetes and wiwaxiids. This set of direct fossil evidence allows the first detailed reconstruction of the diet of a 505-million-year-old animal. Ottoia was a dietary generalist and had no strict feeding regime. It fed on both living individuals and decaying organic matter present in its habitat. The feeding behavior of Ottoia was remarkably simple, reduced to the transit of food through an eversible pharynx and a tubular gut with limited physical breakdown and no storage. The recognition of generalist feeding strategies, exemplified by Ottoia, reveals key-aspects of modern-style trophic complexity in the immediate aftermath of the Cambrian explosion. It also shows that the middle Cambrian ecosystem was already too complex to be understood in terms of simple linear dynamics and unique pathways. PMID:23300612

Three-dimensionally preserved minute larva of a great-appendage arthropod from the early Cambrian Chengjiang biota

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Yu; Melzer, Roland R.; Haug, Joachim T.; Haug, Carolin; Briggs, Derek E. G.; Hörnig, Marie K.; He, Yu-yang; Hou, Xian-guang

2016-05-01

A three-dimensionally preserved 2-mm-long larva of the arthropod Leanchoilia illecebrosa from the 520-million-year-old early Cambrian Chengjiang biota of China represents the first evidence, to our knowledge, of such an early developmental stage in a short-great-appendage (SGA) arthropod. The larva possesses a pair of three-fingered great appendages, a hypostome, and four pairs of well-developed biramous appendages. More posteriorly, a series of rudimentary limb Anlagen revealed by X-ray microcomputed tomography shows a gradient of decreasing differentiation toward the rear. This, and postembryonic segment addition at the putative growth zone, are features of late-stage metanauplii of eucrustaceans. L. illecebrosa and other SGA arthropods, however, are considered representative of early chelicerates or part of the stem lineage of all euarthropods. The larva of an early Cambrian SGA arthropod with a small number of anterior segments and their respective appendages suggests that posthatching segment addition occurred in the ancestor of Euarthropoda.

Life cycle and morphology of a cambrian stem-lineage loriciferan.

PubMed

Peel, John S; Stein, Martin; Kristensen, Reinhardt Møbjerg

2013-01-01

Cycloneuralians form a rich and diverse element within Cambrian assemblages of exceptionally preserved fossils. Most resemble priapulid worms whereas other Cycloneuralia (Nematoda, Nematomorpha, Kinorhyncha, Loricifera), well known at the present day, have little or no fossil record. First reports of Sirilorica Peel, 2010 from the lower Cambrian Sirius Passet fauna of North Greenland described a tubular lorica covering the abdomen and part of a well developed introvert with a circlet of 6 grasping denticles near the lorica. The introvert is now known to terminate in a narrow mouth tube, while a conical anal field is also developed. Broad muscular bands between the plates in the lorica indicate that it was capable of movement by rhythmic expansion and contraction of the lorica. Sirilorica is regarded as a macrobenthic member of the stem-lineage of the miniaturised, interstitial, present day Loricifera. Like loriciferans, Sirilorica is now known to have grown by moulting. Evidence of the life cycle of Sirilorica is described, including a large post-larval stage and probably an initial larva similar to that of the middle Cambrian fossil Orstenoloricusshergoldii.

Life Cycle and Morphology of a Cambrian Stem-Lineage Loriciferan

PubMed Central

Peel, John S.; Stein, Martin; Kristensen, Reinhardt Møbjerg

2013-01-01

Cycloneuralians form a rich and diverse element within Cambrian assemblages of exceptionally preserved fossils. Most resemble priapulid worms whereas other Cycloneuralia (Nematoda, Nematomorpha, Kinorhyncha, Loricifera), well known at the present day, have little or no fossil record. First reports of Sirilorica Peel, 2010 from the lower Cambrian Sirius Passet fauna of North Greenland described a tubular lorica covering the abdomen and part of a well developed introvert with a circlet of 6 grasping denticles near the lorica. The introvert is now known to terminate in a narrow mouth tube, while a conical anal field is also developed. Broad muscular bands between the plates in the lorica indicate that it was capable of movement by rhythmic expansion and contraction of the lorica. Sirilorica is regarded as a macrobenthic member of the stem-lineage of the miniaturised, interstitial, present day Loricifera. Like loriciferans, Sirilorica is now known to have grown by moulting. Evidence of the life cycle of Sirilorica is described, including a large post-larval stage and probably an initial larva similar to that of the middle Cambrian fossil Orstenoloricusshergoldii . PMID:23991198

The impact of deep-tier burrow systems in sediment mixing and ecosystem engineering in early Cambrian carbonate settings

PubMed Central

Zhang, Li-Jun; Qi, Yong-An; Buatois, Luis A.; Mángano, M. Gabriela; Meng, Yao; Li, Da

2017-01-01

Bioturbation plays a substantial role in sediment oxygen concentration, chemical cycling, regeneration of nutrients, microbial activity, and the rate of organic matter decomposition in modern oceans. In addition, bioturbators are ecosystem engineers which promote the presence of some organisms, while precluding others. However, the impact of bioturbation in deep time remains controversial and limited sediment mixing has been indicated for early Paleozoic seas. Our understanding of the actual impact of bioturbation early in the Phanerozoic has been hampered by the lack of detailed analysis of the functional significance of specific burrow architectures. Integration of ichnologic and sedimentologic evidence from North China shows that deep-tier Thalassinoides mazes occur in lower Cambrian nearshore carbonate sediments, leading to intense disruption of the primary fabric. Comparison with modern studies suggest that some of the effects of this style of Cambrian bioturbation may have included promotion of nitrogen and ammonium fluxes across the sediment-water interface, average deepening of the redox discontinuity surface, expansion of aerobic bacteria, and increase in the rate of organic matter decomposition and the regeneration of nutrients. Our study suggests that early Cambrian sediment mixing in carbonate settings may have been more significant than assumed in previous models. PMID:28374857

Early Cambrian wave-formed shoreline deposits: the Hardeberga Formation, Bornholm, Denmark

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clemmensen, Lars B.; Glad, Aslaug C.; Pedersen, Gunver K.

2017-09-01

During the early Cambrian, the Danish island Bornholm was situated on the northern edge of the continent Baltica with palaeolatitudes of about 35°S. An early Cambrian (Terreneuvian) transgression inundated large areas of Baltica including Bornholm creating shallow marine and coastline environments. During this period, wave-formed shoreline sediments (the Vik Member, Hardeberga Formation) were deposited on Bornholm and are presently exposed at Strøby quarry. The sediments consist of fine- and medium-grained quartz-cemented arenites in association with a few silt-rich mudstones. The presence of well-preserved subaqueous dunes and wave ripples indicates deposition in a wave-dominated upper shoreface (littoral zone) environment, and the presence of interference ripples indicates that the littoral zone environment experienced water level fluctuations due to tides and/or changing meteorological conditions. Discoidal structures (medusoids) are present in the quarry, but due to the relative poor preservation of their fine-scale structures it is difficult to determine if the discoids represent true medusae imprints or inorganic structures. The preservation of the shallow-water bedforms as well as the possible medusae imprints is related to either the formation of thin mud layers, formed during a period of calm water when winds blew offshore for a longer period, or to the growth of bacterial mats. The orientation of the wave-formed bedforms indicates a local palaeoshoreline trending NE-SW and facing a large ocean to the north.

Late Cambrian - Early Ordovician turbidites of Gorny Altai (Russia): Compositions, sources, deposition settings, and tectonic implications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kruk, Nikolai N.; Kuibida, Yana V.; Shokalsky, Sergey P.; Kiselev, Vladimir I.; Gusev, Nikolay I.

2018-06-01

The Cambrian-Ordovician transition was the time of several key events in the history of Central Asia. They were the accretion of Mariana-type island arc systems to the Siberian continent, the related large-scale orogeny and intrusions of basaltic and granitic magma and the formation of a huge turbidite basin commensurate with the Bengal Gulf basin in the western part of the Central Asian orogenic belt (CAOB). The structure of the basin, as well as the sources and environments of deposition remain open to discussion. This paper presents new major- and trace-element data on Late-Cambrian-Early Ordovician turbidites from different parts of the Russian Altai and a synthesis of Nd isotope composition and ages of detrital zircons. The turbidites share chemical similarity with material shed from weathered continental arcs. Broad variations of CIA (39-73) and ICV (0.63-1.66) signatures in sandstones suggest origin from diverse sources and absence of significant sorting. Trace elements vary considerably and have generally similar patterns in rocks from different terranes. On the other hand, there are at least two provinces according to Nd isotope composition and age of detrital zircons. Samples from eastern Russian Altai contain only Phanerozoic zircons and have Nd isotope ratios similar to those in Early Cambrian island arcs (εNdt + 4.4… + 5.4; TNd(DM)-2-st = 0.8-0.9 Ga). Samples from central, western, and southern parts of Russian Altai contain Precambrian zircons (some as old as Late Archean) and have a less radiogenic Nd composition (εNdt up to -3.6; TNd(DM)-2-st up to 1.5 Ga). The chemical signatures of Late Cambrian to Early Ordovician turbidites indicate a provenance chemically more mature than the island arc rocks, and the presence of zircons with 510-490 Ma ages disproves their genetic relation with island arcs. The turbidite basin formed simultaneously with peaks of granitic and alkali-basaltic magmatism in the western Central Asian orogen and resulted from

Proterozoic and early Cambrian protists: evidence for accelerating evolutionary tempo

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Knoll, A. H.

1994-01-01

In rocks of late Paleoproterozoic and Mesoproterozoic age (ca. 1700-1000 million years ago), probable eukaryotic microfossils are widespread and well preserved, but assemblage and global diversities are low and turnover is slow. Near the Mesoproterozoic-Neoproterozoic boundary (1000 million years ago), red, green, and chromophytic algae diversified; molecular phylogenies suggest that this was part of a broader radiation of "higher" eukaryotic phyla. Observed diversity levels for protistan microfossils increased significantly at this time, as did turnover rates. Coincident with the Cambrian radiation of marine invertebrates, protistan microfossils again doubled in diversity and rates of turnover increased by an order of magnitude. Evidently, the Cambrian diversification of animals strongly influenced evolutionary rates, within clades already present in marine communities, implying an important role for ecology in fueling a Cambrian explosion that extends across kingdoms.

Cambrian lobopodians and extant onychophorans provide new insights into early cephalization in Panarthropoda

PubMed Central

Ou, Qiang; Shu, Degan; Mayer, Georg

2012-01-01

Cambrian lobopodians are important for understanding the evolution of arthropods, but despite their soft-bodied preservation, the organization of the cephalic region remains obscure. Here we describe new material of the early Cambrian lobopodian Onychodictyon ferox from southern China, which reveals hitherto unknown head structures. These include a proboscis with a terminal mouth, an anterior arcuate sclerite, a pair of ocellus-like eyes and branched, antenniform appendages associated with this ocular segment. These findings, combined with a comparison with other lobopodians, suggest that the head of the last common ancestor of fossil lobopodians and extant panarthropods comprized a single ocular segment with a proboscis and terminal mouth. The lack of specialized mouthparts in O. ferox and the involvement of non-homologous mouthparts in onychophorans, tardigrades and arthropods argue against a common origin of definitive mouth openings among panarthropods, whereas the embryonic stomodaeum might well be homologous at least in Onychophora and Arthropoda. PMID:23232391

Proterozoic and early Cambrian protists: evidence for accelerating evolutionary tempo.

PubMed Central

Knoll, A H

1994-01-01

In rocks of late Paleoproterozoic and Mesoproterozoic age (ca. 1700-1000 million years ago), probable eukaryotic microfossils are widespread and well preserved, but assemblage and global diversities are low and turnover is slow. Near the Mesoproterozoic-Neoproterozoic boundary (1000 million years ago), red, green, and chromophytic algae diversified; molecular phylogenies suggest that this was part of a broader radiation of "higher" eukaryotic phyla. Observed diversity levels for protistan microfossils increased significantly at this time, as did turnover rates. Coincident with the Cambrian radiation of marine invertebrates, protistan microfossils again doubled in diversity and rates of turnover increased by an order of magnitude. Evidently, the Cambrian diversification of animals strongly influenced evolutionary rates, within clades already present in marine communities, implying an important role for ecology in fueling a Cambrian explosion that extends across kingdoms. Images PMID:8041692

A superarmored lobopodian from the Cambrian of China and early disparity in the evolution of Onychophora

PubMed Central

Yang, Jie; Ortega-Hernández, Javier; Gerber, Sylvain; Butterfield, Nicholas J.; Hou, Jin-bo; Lan, Tian; Zhang, Xi-guang

2015-01-01

We describe Collinsium ciliosum from the early Cambrian Xiaoshiba Lagerstätte in South China, an armored lobopodian with a remarkable degree of limb differentiation including a pair of antenna-like appendages, six pairs of elongate setiferous limbs for suspension feeding, and nine pairs of clawed annulated legs with an anchoring function. Collinsium belongs to a highly derived clade of lobopodians within stem group Onychophora, distinguished by a substantial dorsal armature of supernumerary and biomineralized spines (Family Luolishaniidae). As demonstrated here, luolishaniids display the highest degree of limb specialization among Paleozoic lobopodians, constitute more than one-third of the overall morphological disparity of stem group Onychophora, and are substantially more disparate than crown group representatives. Despite having higher disparity and appendage complexity than other lobopodians and extant velvet worms, the specialized mode of life embodied by luolishaniids became extinct during the Early Paleozoic. Collinsium and other superarmored lobopodians exploited a unique paleoecological niche during the Cambrian explosion. PMID:26124122

Origin and hydrology of a large, intact Early Cambrian paleocave system and its role in overlying fluidisation structures, Arctic Canada

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mathieu, Jordan; Turner, Elizabeth C.; Rainbird, Robert H.

2017-04-01

Paleokarst is most commonly expressed as subtle stratigraphic surfaces rather than large void systems penetrating deeply into the paleo-subsurface. In contrast, a regional Precambrian-Cambrian unconformity on Victoria Island (NWT, Canada), is associated with exceptional exposure of large, intact Cambrian paleocaverns (100 m diameter; tens of m high). The paleocaves are distributed along a paleo-horizontal plane, and an associated gryke network is present in the 30-60 m of Neoproterozoic dolostone between cave rooves and the base of overlying Cambrian sandstone; both are filled by Cambrian sandstone. The formation and preservation of such karst features require aggressive dissolution along a stable paleo-water-table shortly before transgression and deposition of shallow-marine sand over the dolostone. During the transgression, the karst network acted as a conduit for flowing groundwater that was discharged through overlying, unconsolidated Cambrian shallow-marine sand, producing water-escape structures (sand volcanoes and their conduits). The conduits are preserved as cylindrical remnants of the sand volcanoes' feeder pipes. Sediment fluidisation was probably caused by variations in the hydraulic-head gradient in a meteoric lens near the Cambrian coastline under a tropical climate with abundant, probably seasonally variable rainfall that caused pulses in subsurface fluid flow. Spatial distribution of the paleocaves and sand volcanoes suggests their formation on the southeast side of a recently faulted horst of Proterozoic carbonate bedrock that formed a nearshore island during early Cambrian sea-level rise. Fluidisation structures such as those reported here have generally been difficult to interpret owing to a lack of data on the fluid hydraulics of the underlying aquifer. This is the first report linking the hydraulics of a well-characterised paleokarst to development of fluid-escape structures. Such structures are widely known from sandstones overlying the sub-Cambrian

Paleomagnetism of Early Cambrian Itabaiana mafic dikes (NE Brazil) and the final assembly of Gondwana

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trindade, Ricardo I. F.; D'Agrella-Filho, Manoel S.; Epof, Igor; Brito Neves, Benjamim B.

2006-04-01

Paleomagnetic analysis on 15 early Cambrian mafic dikes from Itabaiana (Paraíba State) yielded a southern (northwestern) direction with steep upward (downward) inclination ( Dm = 167.5°, Im = - 63.7°, α95 = 7.3°). AF and Thermal demagnetization, thermomagnetic curves, and hysteresis results suggest that this component is dominantly carried by fine-grained SD magnetite. The high stability of this component and positive baked contact tests on three dikes indicate it represents a primary thermoremanent magnetization. Ar-Ar analysis on whole-rock samples from two sites provides a strong constraint on the age of the Itabaiana paleomagnetic pole (134.6° E, 34.9° S; A95 = 7.3, K = 28) defined by plateau ages of 525 ± 5 and 526 ± 4 Ma. This pole completely satisfies six out of the seven quality criteria proposed by Van der Voo [R. Van der Voo, The reliability of paleomagnetic data, Tectonophysics 184 (1990) 1-9.] and permits a tight constraint on the Early Cambrian sector of the Gondwana apparent polar wander path. Paleogeographic reconstructions consistent with the available paleomagnetic and geological record show that Gondwana was sutured along three major orogenies, the Mozambique (Brasilano/Pan-African) Orogeny (800-650 Ma), the Kuunga Orogeny (570-530 Ma) and the Pampean-Araguaia Orogeny (540-520 Ma). We suggest that after rifting away from Laurentia at the end of the Neoproterozoic, opening the Iapetus ocean, the Amazonian craton and minor adjoining blocks, such as Rio Apa and Pampia, collided with the proto-Gondwana by Cambrian times at ca. 530-520 Ma. Unless for small adjustments, Gondwana was completely formed by 525 Ma whose paleogeography is defined by the Itabaiana pole.

Earth's magnetic field strength in the Early Cambrian: Thellier paleointensity estimates of Itabaiana mafic dykes, Northeast Brazil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trindade, R. I. F.; Macouin, M.; Poitou, C.; Chauvin, A.; Hill, M.

2012-04-01

Thellier's paleointensity and microwave paleointensity experiments were carried out in Early Cambrian dykes from Itabaiana (NE Brazil) dated at 525 ±5 Ma. A previous paleomagnetic study on these dykes reveals a very stable characteristic component, whose thermoremanent nature is confirmed by positive baked contact tests performed in three different dykes. The main magnetic carrier is Ti-poor to pure magnetite in the PSD to SD domain state. Hysteresis parameters and first-order reversal curve (FORC) diagrams will be presented in order to apprehend the two different behaviors that characterize the samples during paleointensity experiments. From the 96 samples (from 13 dykes) analyzed in two laboratories using slightly different Thellier's experimental protocols, we have retained 12 samples (3 dykes) for paleointensity estimates. Paleointensity values range from 18.1 up to 40 μΤ. This corresponds to equivalent VDMs of 4.3 ± 0.5, 4.4 ± 1.4 and 5.3 ± 0.9 x 1022 Am2, for the three dykes respectively. These results, the first obtained for rapidly cooled Cambrian rocks, document a moderate Earth field in the Precambrian-Cambrian transition.

First U-Pb geochronology on detrital zircons from Early-Middle Cambrian strata of the Torgau-Doberlug Syncline (eastern Germany) and palaeogeographic implications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abubaker, Atnisha; Hofmann, Mandy; Gärtner, Andreas; Linnemann, Ulf; Elicki, Olaf

2017-10-01

LA-ICP-MS U-Pb data from detrital zircons of the Ediacaran to Cambrian siliciclastic sequence of the Torgau-Doberlug Syncline (TDS, Saxo-Thuringia, Germany) are reported for the first time. The majority of 203 analysed zircon grains is Proterozoic with minor amount of Archean and Palaeozoic grains. The U-Pb ages fall into three groups: 2.8-2.4 Ga (3%), Neoarchean to earliest Palaeoproterozoic; 2.3-1.6 Ga (46%), early to late Palaeoproterozoic; 1.0-0.5 Ga (47%), Neoproterozoic to Cambrian. This age distribution is typical for the West African Craton as the source area and for Cadomian orogenic events in northwestern Gondwana. The samples show an age gap between 1.6 and 1.0 Ga, which is characteristic for West African provenance and diagnostic in distinguishing this unit from East Avalonia and Baltica. The dataset shows clusters of Palaeoproterozoic ages at 2.2-1.7 Ga, that is typical for western Gondwana, which was affected by abundant magmatic intrusions (ca. 2.2-1.8 Ga) during the Eburnean orogeny (West African craton). Neoarchean zircon ages (3%) point to recycling of magmatic rocks formed during the Liberian and Leonian orogenies. Ediacaran to earliest Cambrian rocks of the TDS originated in an active margin regime of the Gondwanan shelf. The following early Palaeozoic overstep sequence was deposited within rift settings that reflects instability of the West-Gondwanan shelf and the separation of terranes from Ordovician onward. The results of this study demonstrate distinct northwestern African provenance of the Cambrian siliciclastics of the TDS. Due to Th-U ratios from concordant zircon analysis, igneous origin from felsic melts is concluded as the source of these grains.

Marine redox stratification during the early Cambrian (ca. 529-509 Ma) and its control on the development of organic-rich shales in Yangtze Platform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Yuying; He, Zhiliang; Jiang, Shu; Gao, Bo; Liu, Zhongbao; Han, Bo; Wang, Hu

2017-06-01

High resolution geochemical data from nine sections representing shelf to basinal environments in the Yangtze Platform were analyzed to reconstruct the marine redox environment during early Cambrian. Based on Fe species and Mo/TOC ratios, we have supplemented marine redox stratification during Stage 4 (late Canglangpuian-Longwangmiaoan, ˜514-509 Ma) on basis of the previously studied Stage 2-Stage 3 (Meishucunian-Qiongzhusian, ˜529-514 Ma). A new proposed marine stratified redox model indicates that the middepth "euxinic wedge" developed at the base of slope during ˜514-509 Ma in contrast to that the "euxinic wedge" prevailed at the shelf margin during ˜529-514 Ma, even though these middepth euxinic waters both occurred between the oxic surface waters and ferruginous deep waters. This marine redox stratification resulted in high production and good preservation of organic matter during early Cambrian. TOC values in euxinic waters in the middle are generally higher than in ferruginous waters due to upwelling in slope. Therefore, the lower Cambrian organic-rich shales in the Yangtze Platform are inferred to be deposited under the anoxic-ferruginous and euxinic bottom waters with moderate-strong restriction.

Soft-part anatomy of the Early Cambrian bivalved arthropods Kunyangella and Kunmingella: significance for the phylogenetic relationships of Bradoriida

PubMed Central

Hou, Xianguang; Williams, Mark; Siveter, David J.; Siveter, Derek J.; Aldridge, Richard J.; Sansom, Robert S.

2010-01-01

Bradoriids are small bivalved marine arthropods that are widespread in rocks of Cambrian to Early Ordovician age. They comprise seven families and about 70 genera based on shield (‘carapace’) morphology. New bradoriid specimens with preserved soft-part anatomy of Kunmingella douvillei (Kunmingellidae) are reported from the Early Cambrian Chengjiang Lagerstätte of China together with, for the first time to our knowledge, a second bradoriid species with preserved soft parts, Kunyangella cheni (Comptalutidae). Kunmingella douvillei has a 10-segmented limb-bearing body with uniramous ninth and tenth appendages and a series of homogeneous, apparently (proximal parts not preserved) unspecialized post-antennal biramous limbs with setose leaf-shaped exopods. Each endopod consists of five podomeres. A presumed penultimate instar of Ky. cheni preserves remnants of three head and two trunk appendages, and the adult is reconstructed as having four head appendages. This material allows testing of the affinity of the Bradoriida. Kunmingella is identified as a stem crustacean in character-based analyses, through both morphological comparisons and cladistic reconstructions. Global parsimony analysis recovers a monophyletic Bradoriida as the sister group to crown crustaceans. PMID:20181565

Arthropod eyes: The early Cambrian fossil record and divergent evolution of visual systems.

PubMed

Strausfeld, Nicholas J; Ma, Xiaoya; Edgecombe, Gregory D; Fortey, Richard A; Land, Michael F; Liu, Yu; Cong, Peiyun; Hou, Xianguang

2016-03-01

Four types of eyes serve the visual neuropils of extant arthropods: compound retinas composed of adjacent facets; a visual surface populated by spaced eyelets; a smooth transparent cuticle providing inwardly directed lens cylinders; and single-lens eyes. The first type is a characteristic of pancrustaceans, the eyes of which comprise lenses arranged as hexagonal or rectilinear arrays, each lens crowning 8-9 photoreceptor neurons. Except for Scutigeromorpha, the second type typifies Myriapoda whose relatively large eyelets surmount numerous photoreceptive rhabdoms stacked together as tiers. Scutigeromorph eyes are facetted, each lens crowning some dozen photoreceptor neurons of a modified apposition-type eye. Extant chelicerate eyes are single-lensed except in xiphosurans, whose lateral eyes comprise a cuticle with a smooth outer surface and an inner one providing regular arrays of lens cylinders. This account discusses whether these disparate eye types speak for or against divergence from one ancestral eye type. Previous considerations of eye evolution, focusing on the eyes of trilobites and on facet proliferation in xiphosurans and myriapods, have proposed that the mode of development of eyes in those taxa is distinct from that of pancrustaceans and is the plesiomorphic condition from which facetted eyes have evolved. But the recent discovery of enormous regularly facetted compound eyes belonging to early Cambrian radiodontans suggests that high-resolution facetted eyes with superior optics may be the ground pattern organization for arthropods, predating the evolution of arthrodization and jointed post-protocerebral appendages. Here we provide evidence that compound eye organization in stem-group euarthropods of the Cambrian can be understood in terms of eye morphologies diverging from this ancestral radiodontan-type ground pattern. We show that in certain Cambrian groups apposition eyes relate to fixed or mobile eyestalks, whereas other groups reveal concomitant

Transient deep-water oxygenation in the early Cambrian Nanhua Basin, South China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheng, Meng; Li, Chao; Zhou, Lian; Feng, LianJun; Algeo, Thomas J.; Zhang, FeiFei; Romaniello, Stephen; Jin, ChengSheng; Ling, HongFei; Jiang, ShaoYong

2017-08-01

Many late Neoproterozoic to early Cambrian fossils of multicellular eukaryotes, including those of benthic animals, are found preserved under anoxic and even euxinic bottom-water conditions, which is contradictory to the consensus that oxygen is essential to eukaryotes. To investigate this conundrum, we conducted an integrated study of iron speciation, redox-sensitive trace elements, and Mo isotopes (δ98Mo) on the black shale interval of the lower Cambrian Hetang Formation (∼535-521 Ma) at Lantian, South China, in which benthic sponge fossils are abundant in the lower member (LM) but absent in the upper member (UM). Iron speciation data point to uniformly anoxic-ferruginous conditions in the LM and euxinic conditions in the UM, whereas the trace-element and δ98Mo data show greater secular variation in redox conditions. The LM shows higher mean trace element concentrations (Mo: 108 ppm, U: 36 ppm, V: 791 ppm) and lower and more variable δ98Mo (+0.13 to +1.76‰) relative to the UM (Mo: 45 ppm, U: 18 ppm, V: 265 ppm, δ98Mo: +1.59 to +1.67‰), and ratios of redox-sensitive trace element concentrations to total organic carbon are significantly more variable and higher on average in the LM relative to the UM. The appearance of sponge fossils and lower δ98Mo values correlate strongly with gray (i.e., lighter-colored) layers in the LM. These patterns can best be interpreted as recording mainly euxinic conditions throughout deposition of the study units, with more intense background euxinia in the LM relative to the UM, but also with frequent transient oxygenation events in the LM that do not appear in the UM. The transient oxygenation events of the LM led to the initial colonization of the deep Nanhua Basin by sponges, and the termination of these events in the UM caused sponge faunas to disappear until a general rise in O2 levels later in the Cambrian permitted their return to deeper-water habitats. Our study also illustrates that multiple geochemical and

Exceptionally preserved Cambrian loriciferans and the early animal invasion of the meiobenthos.

PubMed

Harvey, Thomas H P; Butterfield, Nicholas J

2017-01-30

Microscopic animals that live among and between sediment grains (meiobenthic metazoans) are key constituents of modern aquatic ecosystems, but are effectively absent from the fossil record. We describe an assemblage of microscopic fossil loriciferans (Ecdysozoa, Loricifera) from the late Cambrian Deadwood Formation of western Canada. The fossils share a characteristic head structure and minute adult body size (~300 μm) with modern loriciferans, indicating the early evolution and subsequent conservation of an obligate, permanently meiobenthic lifestyle. The unsuspected fossilization potential of such small animals in marine mudstones offers a new search image for the earliest ecdysozoans and other animals, although the anatomical complexity of loriciferans points to their evolutionary miniaturization from a larger-bodied ancestor. The invasion of animals into ecospace that was previously monopolized by protists will have contributed considerably to the revolutionary geobiological feedbacks of the Proterozoic/Phanerozoic transition.

Palaeogeography of late Cambrian to early Ordovician sediments in the Amadeus Basin, central Australia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gorter, John D.

The depositional history of 6 sequences encompassing 18 parasequence of the Late Cambrian to Early Ordovician age in the Amadeus Basin is presented in a seried of generalized paleogeographic maps. As some of the parasequence sets are known to host large deposits of oil and gas, a thorough understanding of the potential reservoir-source rock combinations in the Amadeus Basin is essential for the discovery of further oil and gas reserves in this vast, under-explored basin. The best reservoir rocks in the Pacoota Sandstone are concentrated above the major sequence boundary between the Wallaby and Tempe Vale sequences on the Central Ridge. Poorer reservoirs occur within other sequences (e.g., parasequence set 3 and 13). Parasequence set 3 reservoirs, localized on the Central Ridge, are generally poor but owe their reservoir character to weathering at the pre-Tempe Vale sequence unconformity. Parasequence set 13 reservoirs are also concenterated along the Central Ridge, where small-scale shoaling clastic cycles are better developed. Basal Stairway Sandstone reservoirs in the Mereenie area on the Central Ridge are generally very poor, due to the cementation of the clean sandstone, but should improve to the southwest due to lesser burial-induced silicification. The source potential of the major Arenig organic-rich sediments is concentrated in the transitional zone between parasequence sets 15 and 16. East of West Waterhouse 1 well, these parasequence sets have been eroded and there is no remaining source potential. The transitional source-rich zone is better developed on the Central Ridge than in the Missionary Plain Trough. The Central Ridge is therefore of prime importance in the localization of both reservoir and source rocks in the Late Cambrian and Early Ordovician section of the Amadeus Basin.

Compilation and network analyses of cambrian food webs.

PubMed

Dunne, Jennifer A; Williams, Richard J; Martinez, Neo D; Wood, Rachel A; Erwin, Douglas H

2008-04-29

A rich body of empirically grounded theory has developed about food webs--the networks of feeding relationships among species within habitats. However, detailed food-web data and analyses are lacking for ancient ecosystems, largely because of the low resolution of taxa coupled with uncertain and incomplete information about feeding interactions. These impediments appear insurmountable for most fossil assemblages; however, a few assemblages with excellent soft-body preservation across trophic levels are candidates for food-web data compilation and topological analysis. Here we present plausible, detailed food webs for the Chengjiang and Burgess Shale assemblages from the Cambrian Period. Analyses of degree distributions and other structural network properties, including sensitivity analyses of the effects of uncertainty associated with Cambrian diet designations, suggest that these early Paleozoic communities share remarkably similar topology with modern food webs. Observed regularities reflect a systematic dependence of structure on the numbers of taxa and links in a web. Most aspects of Cambrian food-web structure are well-characterized by a simple "niche model," which was developed for modern food webs and takes into account this scale dependence. However, a few aspects of topology differ between the ancient and recent webs: longer path lengths between species and more species in feeding loops in the earlier Chengjiang web, and higher variability in the number of links per species for both Cambrian webs. Our results are relatively insensitive to the exclusion of low-certainty or random links. The many similarities between Cambrian and recent food webs point toward surprisingly strong and enduring constraints on the organization of complex feeding interactions among metazoan species. The few differences could reflect a transition to more strongly integrated and constrained trophic organization within ecosystems following the rapid diversification of species, body

Disc-shaped fossils resembling porpitids or eldonids from the early Cambrian (Series 2: Stage 4) of western USA

PubMed Central

Kurkewicz, Richard; Shinogle, Heather; Kimmig, Julien; MacGabhann, Breandán Anraoi

2017-01-01

The morphology and affinities of newly discovered disc-shaped, soft-bodied fossils from the early Cambrian (Series 2: Stage 4, Dyeran) Carrara Formation are discussed. These specimens show some similarity to the Ordovician Discophyllum Hall, 1847; traditionally this taxon had been treated as a fossil porpitid. However, recently it has instead been referred to as another clade, the eldonids, which includes the enigmatic Eldonia Walcott, 1911 that was originally described from the Cambrian Burgess Shale. The status of various Proterozoic and Phanerozoic taxa previously referred to porpitids and eldonids is also briefly considered. To help ascertain that the specimens were not dubio- or pseudofossils, elemental mapping using energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) was conducted. This, in conjunction with the morphology of the specimens, indicated that the fossils were not hematite, iron sulfide, pyrolusite, or other abiologic mineral precipitates. Instead, their status as biologic structures and thus actual fossils is supported. Enrichment in the element carbon, and also possibly to some extent the elements magnesium and iron, seems to be playing some role in the preservation process. PMID:28603667

Disc-shaped fossils resembling porpitids or eldonids from the early Cambrian (Series 2: Stage 4) of western USA.

PubMed

Lieberman, Bruce S; Kurkewicz, Richard; Shinogle, Heather; Kimmig, Julien; MacGabhann, Breandán Anraoi

2017-01-01

The morphology and affinities of newly discovered disc-shaped, soft-bodied fossils from the early Cambrian (Series 2: Stage 4, Dyeran) Carrara Formation are discussed. These specimens show some similarity to the Ordovician Discophyllum Hall, 1847; traditionally this taxon had been treated as a fossil porpitid. However, recently it has instead been referred to as another clade, the eldonids, which includes the enigmatic Eldonia Walcott, 1911 that was originally described from the Cambrian Burgess Shale. The status of various Proterozoic and Phanerozoic taxa previously referred to porpitids and eldonids is also briefly considered. To help ascertain that the specimens were not dubio- or pseudofossils, elemental mapping using energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) was conducted. This, in conjunction with the morphology of the specimens, indicated that the fossils were not hematite, iron sulfide, pyrolusite, or other abiologic mineral precipitates. Instead, their status as biologic structures and thus actual fossils is supported. Enrichment in the element carbon, and also possibly to some extent the elements magnesium and iron, seems to be playing some role in the preservation process.

Extraordinary fossils reveal the nature of Cambrian life: a commentary on Whittington (1975) 'The enigmatic animal Opabinia regalis, Middle Cambrian, Burgess Shale, British Columbia'.

PubMed

Briggs, Derek E G

2015-04-19

Harry Whittington's 1975 monograph on Opabinia was the first to highlight how some of the Burgess Shale animals differ markedly from those that populate today's oceans. Categorized by Stephen J. Gould as a 'weird wonder' (Wonderful life, 1989) Opabinia, together with other unusual Burgess Shale fossils, stimulated ongoing debates about the early evolution of the major animal groups and the nature of the Cambrian explosion. The subsequent discovery of a number of other exceptionally preserved fossil faunas of Cambrian and early Ordovician age has significantly augmented the information available on this critical interval in the history of life. Although Opabinia initially defied assignment to any group of modern animals, it is now interpreted as lying below anomalocaridids on the stem leading to the living arthropods. This commentary was written to celebrate the 350th anniversary of the journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society.

The early Cambrian fossil embryo Pseudooides is a direct-developing cnidarian, not an early ecdysozoan.

PubMed

Duan, Baichuan; Dong, Xi-Ping; Porras, Luis; Vargas, Kelly; Cunningham, John A; Donoghue, Philip C J

2017-12-20

Early Cambrian Pseudooides prima has been described from embryonic and post-embryonic stages of development, exhibiting long germ-band development. There has been some debate about the pattern of segmentation, but this interpretation, as among the earliest records of ecdysozoans, has been generally accepted. Here, we show that the 'germ band' of P. prima embryos separates along its mid axis during development, with the transverse furrows between the 'somites' unfolding into the polar aperture of the ten-sided theca of Hexaconularia sichuanensis , conventionally interpreted as a scyphozoan cnidarian; co-occurring post-embryonic remains of ecdysozoans are unrelated. We recognize H. sichuanensis as a junior synonym of P. prima as a consequence of identifying these two form-taxa as distinct developmental stages of the same organism. Direct development in P. prima parallels the co-occuring olivooids Olivooides, and Quadrapyrgites and Bayesian phylogenetic analysis of a novel phenotype dataset indicates that, despite differences in their tetra-, penta- and pseudo-hexa-radial symmetry, these hexangulaconulariids comprise a clade of scyphozoan medusozoans, with Arthrochites and conulariids, that all exhibit direct development from embryo to thecate polyp. The affinity of hexangulaconulariids and olivooids to extant scyphozoan medusozoans indicates that the prevalence of tetraradial symmetry and indirect development are a vestige of a broader spectrum of body-plan symmetries and developmental modes that was manifest in their early Phanerozoic counterparts. © 2017 The Authors.

The early Cambrian fossil embryo Pseudooides is a direct-developing cnidarian, not an early ecdysozoan

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

Early Cambrian Pseudooides prima has been described from embryonic and post-embryonic stages of development, exhibiting long germ-band development. There has been some debate about the pattern of segmentation, but this interpretation, as among the earliest records of ecdysozoans, has been generally accepted. Here, we show that the ‘germ band’ of P. prima embryos separates along its mid axis during development, with the transverse furrows between the ‘somites’ unfolding into the polar aperture of the ten-sided theca of Hexaconularia sichuanensis, conventionally interpreted as a scyphozoan cnidarian; co-occurring post-embryonic remains of ecdysozoans are unrelated. We recognize H. sichuanensis as a junior synonym of P. prima as a consequence of identifying these two form-taxa as distinct developmental stages of the same organism. Direct development in P. prima parallels the co-occuring olivooids Olivooides, and Quadrapyrgites and Bayesian phylogenetic analysis of a novel phenotype dataset indicates that, despite differences in their tetra-, penta- and pseudo-hexa-radial symmetry, these hexangulaconulariids comprise a clade of scyphozoan medusozoans, with Arthrochites and conulariids, that all exhibit direct development from embryo to thecate polyp. The affinity of hexangulaconulariids and olivooids to extant scyphozoan medusozoans indicates that the prevalence of tetraradial symmetry and indirect development are a vestige of a broader spectrum of body-plan symmetries and developmental modes that was manifest in their early Phanerozoic counterparts. PMID:29237861

New uppermost Cambrian U-Pb date from Avalonian Wales and age of the Cambrian-Ordovician boundary

USGS Publications Warehouse

Davidek, K.; Landing, E.; Bowring, S.A.; Westrop, S.R.; Rushton, A.W.A.; Fortey, R.A.; Adrain, J.M.

1998-01-01

A crystal-rich volcaniclastic sandatone in the lower Peltura scarabaeoides Zone at Ogof-odi near Criccieth, North Wales, yields a U-Pb zircon age of 491 ?? 1 Ma. This late Late Cambrian date indicates a remarkably young age for the Cambrian-Ordovician boundary whose age must be less than 491 Ma. Hence the revised duration of the post-Placentian (trilobite-bearing) Cambrian indicates that local trilobite zonations allow a biostratigraphic resolution comparble to that provided by Ordovician graptolites and Mesozoic ammonites.

Extraordinary fossils reveal the nature of Cambrian life: a commentary on Whittington (1975) ‘The enigmatic animal Opabinia regalis, Middle Cambrian, Burgess Shale, British Columbia’

PubMed Central

Briggs, Derek E. G.

2015-01-01

Harry Whittington's 1975 monograph on Opabinia was the first to highlight how some of the Burgess Shale animals differ markedly from those that populate today's oceans. Categorized by Stephen J. Gould as a ‘weird wonder’ (Wonderful life, 1989) Opabinia, together with other unusual Burgess Shale fossils, stimulated ongoing debates about the early evolution of the major animal groups and the nature of the Cambrian explosion. The subsequent discovery of a number of other exceptionally preserved fossil faunas of Cambrian and early Ordovician age has significantly augmented the information available on this critical interval in the history of life. Although Opabinia initially defied assignment to any group of modern animals, it is now interpreted as lying below anomalocaridids on the stem leading to the living arthropods. This commentary was written to celebrate the 350th anniversary of the journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society. PMID:25750235

Preservation of Early Cambrian animals of the Chengjiang biota

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gabbott, Sarah E.; Xian-Guang, Hou; Norry, Michael J.; Siveter, David J.

2004-10-01

The Chengjiang biota of Yunnan, China, documents the earliest extensive radiation of the Metazoa recorded in the fossil record. Gauging preservational bias is crucial in providing an assessment of the completeness of this biota and thereby elucidating whether it represents a comprehensive depiction of Early Cambrian life. We here present a model to explain the nature of the exceptional preservation of the Chengjiang biota and details of the decay process. This study indicates that Chengjiang fossils were preserved through two taphonomic pathways that may have captured tissues of distinct compositions, and this finding should provide a foundation for the interpretation of Chengjiang fossils. Many Chengjiang fossils are preserved by pyrite (later pseudomorphed by iron oxides); the clay-rich host sediment was deficient in organic carbon but replete in available Fe, and this composition ensured that a decaying carcass acted as a local substrate for Fe- and S-reducing bacteria. Pyrite morphology probably reflects contrasts in the decay rate, and hence the H2S production rate, of different tissues in a carcass. Reactive, rapidly decaying tissues would have quickly supplied H2S, producing many pyrite nuclei, resulting in framboidal habits. More recalcitrant tissues would have produced H2S more slowly, so that crystal growth operated on fewer nuclei, resulting in larger euhedral pyrite crystals. Reflective films, especially common on Chengjiang arthropods, represent the remains of degraded carbon.

Fossils, molecules and embryos: new perspectives on the Cambrian explosion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Valentine, J. W.; Jablonski, D.; Erwin, D. H.

1999-01-01

The Cambrian explosion is named for the geologically sudden appearance of numerous metazoan body plans (many of living phyla) between about 530 and 520 million years ago, only 1.7% of the duration of the fossil record of animals. Earlier indications of metazoans are found in the Neoproterozic; minute trails suggesting bilaterian activity date from about 600 million years ago. Larger and more elaborate fossil burrows appear near 543 million years ago, the beginning of the Cambrian Period. Evidence of metazoan activity in both trace and body fossils then increased during the 13 million years leading to the explosion. All living phyla may have originated by the end of the explosion. Molecular divergences among lineages leading to phyla record speciation events that have been earlier than the origins of the new body plans, which can arise many tens of millions of years after an initial branching. Various attempts to date those branchings by using molecular clocks have disagreed widely. While the timing of the evolution of the developmental systems of living metazoan body plans is still uncertain, the distribution of Hox and other developmental control genes among metazoans indicates that an extensive patterning system was in place prior to the Cambrian. However, it is likely that much genomic repatterning occurred during the Early Cambrian, involving both key control genes and regulators within their downstream cascades, as novel body plans evolved.

Diversity partitioning during the Cambrian radiation

PubMed Central

Na, Lin; Kiessling, Wolfgang

2015-01-01

The fossil record offers unique insights into the environmental and geographic partitioning of biodiversity during global diversifications. We explored biodiversity patterns during the Cambrian radiation, the most dramatic radiation in Earth history. We assessed how the overall increase in global diversity was partitioned between within-community (alpha) and between-community (beta) components and how beta diversity was partitioned among environments and geographic regions. Changes in gamma diversity in the Cambrian were chiefly driven by changes in beta diversity. The combined trajectories of alpha and beta diversity during the initial diversification suggest low competition and high predation within communities. Beta diversity has similar trajectories both among environments and geographic regions, but turnover between adjacent paleocontinents was probably the main driver of diversification. Our study elucidates that global biodiversity during the Cambrian radiation was driven by niche contraction at local scales and vicariance at continental scales. The latter supports previous arguments for the importance of plate tectonics in the Cambrian radiation, namely the breakup of Pannotia. PMID:25825755

Tropical shoreline ice in the late Cambrian: Implications for earth's climate between the Cambrian Explosion and the Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event

USGS Publications Warehouse

Runkel, Anthony C.; MacKey, T.J.; Cowan, Clinton A.; Fox, David L.

2010-01-01

Middle to late Cambrian time (ca. 513 to 488 Ma) is characterized by an unstable plateau in biodiversity, when depauperate shelf faunas suffered repeated extinctions. This poorly understood interval separates the Cambrian Explosion from the Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event and is generally regarded as a time of sustained greenhouse conditions. We present evidence that suggests a drastically different climate during this enigmatic interval: Features indicative of meteoric ice are well preserved in late Cambrian equatorial beach deposits that correspond to one of the shelf extinction events. Thus, the middle to late Cambrian Earth was at least episodically cold and might best be considered a muted analogue to the environmental extremes that characterized the Proterozoic, even though cooling in the two periods may have occurred in response to different triggers. Such later Cambrian conditions may have significantly impacted evolution preceding the Ordovician radiation.

Multiple Controls on the Paleoenvironment of the Early Cambrian Marine Black Shales in the Sichuan Basin, SW China: Geochemical and Organic Carbon Isotopic Evidence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, S.; Zhang, G.; Dong, D.; Wang, Y.

2016-12-01

In order to understand the paleoenvironment of the Early Cambrian black shale deposition in the western part of the Yangtze Block, geochemical and organic carbon isotopic studies have been performed on two wells that have drilled through the Qiongzhusi Formation in the central and southeastern parts of Sichuan Basin. It shows that the lowest part of the Qiongzhusi Formation has high TOC abundance, while the middle and upper parts display relative low TOC content. Redox-sensitive element (Mo) and trace elemental redox indices (e.g., Ni/Co, V/Cr, U/Th and V/(V+Ni)) suggest that the high-TOC layers were deposited under anoxic conditions, whereas the low-TOC layers under relatively dysoxic/oxic conditions. The relationship of the enrichment factors of Mo and U further shows a transition from suboxic low-TOC layers to euxinic high-TOC layers. On the basis of the Mo-TOC relationship, the Qiongzhusi Formation black shales were deposited in a basin under moderately restricted conditions. Organic carbon isotopes display temporal variations in the Qiongzhusi Formation, with a positive excursion of δ13Corg values in the lower part and a continuous positive shift in the middle and upper parts. All these geochemical and isotopic criteria indicate a paleoenvironmental change from bottom anoxic to middle and upper dysoxic/oxic conditions for the Qiongzhusi Formation black shales. The correlation of organic carbon isotopic data for the Lower Cambrian black shales in different regions of the Yangtze Block shows consistent positive excursion of δ13Corg values in the lower part for each section. This excursion can be ascribed to the widespread Early Cambrian transgression in the Yangtze Block, under which black shales were deposited.

The origin of decoupled carbonate and organic carbon isotope signatures in the early Cambrian (ca. 542-520 Ma) Yangtze platform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Ganqing; Wang, Xinqiang; Shi, Xiaoying; Xiao, Shuhai; Zhang, Shihong; Dong, Jin

2012-02-01

The early Cambrian (ca. 542-520 Ma) strata in South China record two prominent negative carbonate carbon isotope (δ13Ccarb) excursions of early Nemakit-Daldynian (N-D) and early Tommotian ages. Across each of these excursions, carbonate and organic carbon isotopes (δ13Ccarb and δ13Corg) are strongly decoupled. Regional correlation across a shelf-to-basin transect shows lateral heterogeneity of δ13Corg during the early-middle N-D but more homogenized δ13Corg values across the basin during the late N-D and Tommotian. The temporal and lateral variations in δ13Corg suggest that decoupled δ13Ccarb and δ13Corg across the N-D δ13Ccarb excursion were possibly caused by diagenetic alteration of organic matter and/or amplification of detrital organic carbon isotope signature in low-TOC carbonates. In contrast, decoupled δ13Ccarb and δ13Corg of the upper N-D and Tommotian were likely resulted from chemoautotrophic-methanotrophic biomass contribution to TOC in organic-rich black shale and carbonates. The decoupled δ13Ccarb-δ13Corg pattern from the lower N-D strata (ca. 542 Ma) shows striking similarities with those from the basal (ca. 635 Ma) and upper (ca. 551 Ma) Doushantuo Formation. In all three cases, decoupled δ13Ccarb-δ13Corg are seen in organic-poor carbonates (TOC ≤ 0.1‰) and coupled δ13Ccarb-δ13Corg occur in organic-rich black shale and carbonates at the end of the negative δ13Ccarb excursion. These similarities suggest that the shift from decoupled to coupled δ13Ccarb-δ13Corg has no causal link with the terminal oxidation of a large oceanic DOC reservoir. Given the pervasive anoxia/euxinia in Ediacaran-early Cambrian oceans, local DOC-rich environments may have been common, but a large oceanic DOC reservoir capable of buffering the δ13C of marine organic matter requires independent evidence.

Paleo-environmental conditions of the Early Cambrian Niutitang Formation in the Fenggang area, the southwestern margin of the Yangtze Platform, southern China: Evidence from major elements, trace elements and other proxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Jin; Tang, Shuheng; Zhang, Songhang; Xi, Zhaodong; Yang, Ning; Yang, Guoqiao; Li, Lei; Li, Yanpeng

2018-06-01

The Precambrian/Cambrian transition was a key time in Earth history, especially for marine biological evolution and oceanic chemistry. The redox-stratification with oxic shallow water and anoxic (even euxinic) deeper water in the Early Cambrian Yangtze Sea, which gradually became completely oxygenated, has been suggested as a possible trigger for the "Cambrian explosion" of biological diversity. However, for some areas in northern Guizhou where the exploration and research are lacking, identifying this pattern of redox-stratification by paleo-environmental analysis from borehole data is still in need. Here, we report a remarkable variation range in trace elements (Mo, V, U, Ni, Th, Co, Sc, Zn and Cu), molar Corg:P ratios and pyrite morphology from 27 core samples from one new drill hole (XY1, located in the Fenggang area, northern Guizhou) on the Yangtze Platform, South China. High levels of Ba (from 3242 ppm to 33,800 ppm) and total organic carbon (TOC; from 4% to 9.36%) in 15 core samples in the Lower Member (LM) of the Niutitang Formation indicated elevated primary productivity in the study area. Redox change was recorded based on enrichment factors (EFs) for RSTEs (Mo, U, and V), redox proxies (V/(V + Ni), Ni/Co, V/Sc and Th/U), Corg:P ratios and particle size of framboidal pyrite. These signatures demonstrate that the LM was deposited under anoxic conditions with sulfidic episodes, whereas the Upper Member (UM) of the Niutitang Formation was deposited under suboxic/oxic conditions with intermittently anoxic episodes. Mo/TOC ratios (from 3.72 to 39.86, mean 18.76) suggest weak-moderate water mass restriction. Mo-U covariation patterns (strong but variable enrichment of Mo and U; MoEF ranging from 31.45 to 257.97; UEF ranging from 4.68 to 39.07) in the LM show alternation of particulate shuttling and redox conditions occurred in the Early Cambrian Yangtze Sea, whereas Mo-U covariation patterns (moderate Mo enrichment but depletion or non-enrichment of U; mean Mo

Gas potential of the Rome Trough in Kentucky: Results of recent Cambrian exploration

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

Harris, D.C.; Drahovzal, J.A.

1996-09-01

A recent gas discovery in the Rome Trough suggests the need to re-evaluate the deep Cambrian potential of eastern Kentucky. A new phase of Cambrian exploration began in mid-1994 with a new pool discovery by the Carson Associates No. 1 Kazee well in Elliott County, Ky. This well blew out and initially flowed 11 MMcfd of gas from the upper Conasauga Group/Rome Formation at 6,258 to 6,270 feet. After this discovery, a second exploratory well (the Blue Ridge No. 1Greene) was drilled on a separate structure in Elliott County in late 1995. The Blue Ridge well was temporarily abandoned, butmore » had shows of gas and condensate. In early 1996, Carson Associates offset their initial discovery well with the No. 33 Lawson Heirs well. This activity follows a frustrating exploration history in the Rome Trough that is marked by numerous gas and oil shows, but rare commercial production. Only three single-well pools have produced commercial gas from the trough, including the recent Kazee well. Stratigraphic units below the Cambrian-Ordovician Knox Group in the Rome Trough are dramatically thicker than their equivalents on the shelf to the north. The interval in the trough is thought to include rocks as old as Early Cambrian, consisting of a basal sandstone, equivalents of the Shady/Tomstown Dolomite, the Rome Formation, and the Conasauga Formation. Sandstones and fractured shales have been responsible for most of the production to date, but dolostone intervals may also have potential. Limited seismic data indicate possible fan-delta and basin-floor fan deposits that may have reservoir potential.« less

Minerals in the gut: scoping a Cambrian digestive system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Strang, K. M.; Armstrong, H. A.; Harper, D. A. T.

2016-11-01

The Sirius Passet Lagerstätte of North Greenland contains the first exceptionally preserved mat-ground community of the Cambrian, dominated, in terms of abundance, by trilobites but particularly characterized by iconic arthropods and lobopods, some also occurring in the Burgess shale. High-resolution photography, scanning electron imaging and elemental mapping have been carried out on a variety of specimens of the non-mineralized arthropod Campanamuta mantonae (Budd 2011 J. Syst. Palaeontol. 9, 217-260 (doi:10.1080/14772019.2010.492644)) which has three-dimensional gut and muscle preservation. Results show that the guts contain a high concentration of calcium phosphate (approximating to the mineral francolite), whereas the adjacent muscles are silicified. This indicates a unique, tissue-specific taphonomy for this Cambrian taxon. We hypothesize that the precipitation of calcium phosphate in the guts occurs rapidly after death by `crystal seed' processes in suboxic, slightly acidic conditions; critically, the gut wall remained intact during precipitation. We postulate that the calcium phosphate was derived from ingested cellular material. Silicification of the muscles followed as the localized water chemistry became saturated in silica, high in Fe2+, and low in oxygen and sulfate. We document here the unique occurrence of two distinct but mechanistically similar taphonomic pathways within a diverse suite of possibilities in an Early Cambrian Lagerstätte.

The oceanic carbon cycle implicated in the d13Ccarb and the d13Corg variations from the terminal Ediacaran to the Early Cambrian

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ishikawa, T.; Ueno, Y.; Komiya, T.; Shu, D.; Li, Y.; Yoshida, N.; Maruyama, S.

2009-04-01

The terminal Neoproterozoic and its transition into the Cambrian witnessed major evolutionary and geochemical changes (e.g. Knoll, 1994). Evolutionary features include extinction and subsequent radiation events (e.g. Brasier, 1994; Knoll, 1994; Knoll and Carroll, 1999; Shu 2008). Geochemical changes comprise secular variations of the global carbon cycle expressed as variations of the d13C isotope records. A representative d13C curve for inorganic carbon (d13Ccarb) across the Precambrian/Cambrian boundary (Pc/C boundary) shows the existence of large fluctuations (e.g. Kirschvink et al., 1991; Narbonne et al., 1994; Kaufman et al., 1995; Amthor et al., 2003; Maloof et al., 2005, Ishikawa et al., 2008). This indicates a significant change of the oceanic carbon cycle at that time. On the other hand, the d13C values for total organic carbon (d13Corg) have rarely been reported together with the d13Ccarb across the boundary. Therefore, the precise relation between the d13Ccarb and the d13Corg and the global carbon cycle at the Pc/C boundary are still ambiguous. This work presents a first high-resolution d13Corg chemostratigraphy of drill core samples across the Pc/C boundary in the Three Gorges area, South China. Based on the results, this work additionally proposes variations of the sizes of the oceanic carbon reservoirs by a calculation of the carbon cycle model at the Pc/C boundary. The Three Gorges section extends from the uppermost Ediacaran dolostone (Dengying Formation), through the lowermost Early Cambrian muddy limestone (Yanjiahe Formation) to the middle Early Cambrian calcareous black shale (Shuijingtuo Formation). The ^13Corg values exhibit relatively invariant values averaging at -31 permil. By comparison between the d13Ccarb and d13Corg, we recognize two different terms in this period. The first term from the Pc/C boundary to the early Nemakit-Daldynian (ND) is characterized by the decoupling of d13Corg and d13Ccarb, stable d13Corg and the significant

A Cambrian mixed carbonate-siliciclastic platform in SW Gondwana: evidence from the Western Sierras Pampeanas (Argentina) and implications for the early Paleozoic paleogeography of the proto-Andean margin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramacciotti, Carlos D.; Casquet, César; Baldo, Edgardo G.; Galindo, Carmen; Pankhurst, Robert J.; Verdecchia, Sebastián O.; Rapela, Carlos W.; Fanning, Mark

2018-05-01

The Western Sierras Pampeanas (WSP) of Argentina record a protracted geological history from the Mesoproterozoic assembly of the Rodinia supercontinent to the early Paleozoic tectonic evolution of SW Gondwana. Two well-known orogenies took place at the proto-Andean margin of Gondwana in the Cambrian and the Ordovician, i.e., the Pampean (545-520 Ma) and Famatinian (490-440 Ma) orogenies, respectively. Between them, an extensive continental platform was developed, where mixed carbonate-siliciclastic sedimentation occurred. This platform was later involved in the Famatinian orogeny when it underwent penetrative deformation and metamorphism. The platform apparently extended from Patagonia to northwestern Argentina and the Eastern Sierras Pampeanas, and has probable equivalents in SW Africa, Peru, and Bolivia. The WSP record the outer (deepest) part of the platform, where carbonates were deposited in addition to siliciclastic sediments. Detrital zircon U-Pb SHRIMP ages from clastic metasedimentary successions and Sr-isotope compositions of marbles from the WSP suggest depositional ages between ca. 525 and 490 Ma. The detrital zircon age patterns further suggest that clastic sedimentation took place in two stages. The first was sourced mainly from re-working of the underlying Neoproterozoic metasedimentary rocks and the uplifted core of the early Cambrian Pampean orogen, without input from the Paleoproterozoic Río de la Plata craton. Sediments of the second stage resulted from the erosion of the still emerged Pampean belt and the Neoproterozoic Brasiliano orogen in the NE with some contribution from the Río de la Plata craton. An important conclusion is that the WSP basement was already part of SW Gondwana in the early Cambrian, and not part of the exotic Precordillera/Cuyania terrane, as was previously thought.

Rise to modern levels of ocean oxygenation coincided with the Cambrian radiation of animals.

PubMed

Chen, Xi; Ling, Hong-Fei; Vance, Derek; Shields-Zhou, Graham A; Zhu, Maoyan; Poulton, Simon W; Och, Lawrence M; Jiang, Shao-Yong; Li, Da; Cremonese, Lorenzo; Archer, Corey

2015-05-18

The early diversification of animals (∼ 630 Ma), and their development into both motile and macroscopic forms (∼ 575-565 Ma), has been linked to stepwise increases in the oxygenation of Earth's surface environment. However, establishing such a linkage between oxygen and evolution for the later Cambrian 'explosion' (540-520 Ma) of new, energy-sapping body plans and behaviours has proved more elusive. Here we present new molybdenum isotope data, which demonstrate that the areal extent of oxygenated bottom waters increased in step with the early Cambrian bioradiation of animals and eukaryotic phytoplankton. Modern-like oxygen levels characterized the ocean at ∼ 521 Ma for the first time in Earth history. This marks the first establishment of a key environmental factor in modern-like ecosystems, where animals benefit from, and also contribute to, the 'homeostasis' of marine redox conditions.

Ichnological evidence for meiofaunal bilaterians from the terminal Ediacaran and earliest Cambrian of Brazil.

PubMed

Parry, Luke A; Boggiani, Paulo C; Condon, Daniel J; Garwood, Russell J; Leme, Juliana de M; McIlroy, Duncan; Brasier, Martin D; Trindade, Ricardo; Campanha, Ginaldo A C; Pacheco, Mírian L A F; Diniz, Cleber Q C; Liu, Alexander G

2017-10-01

The evolutionary events during the Ediacaran-Cambrian transition (~541 Myr ago) are unparalleled in Earth history. The fossil record suggests that most extant animal phyla appeared in a geologically brief interval, with the oldest unequivocal bilaterian body fossils found in the Early Cambrian. Molecular clocks and biomarkers provide independent estimates for the timing of animal origins, and both suggest a cryptic Neoproterozoic history for Metazoa that extends considerably beyond the Cambrian fossil record. We report an assemblage of ichnofossils from Ediacaran-Cambrian siltstones in Brazil, alongside U-Pb radioisotopic dates that constrain the age of the oldest specimens to 555-542 Myr. X-ray microtomography reveals three-dimensionally preserved traces ranging from 50 to 600 μm in diameter, indicative of small-bodied, meiofaunal tracemakers. Burrow morphologies suggest they were created by a nematoid-like organism that used undulating locomotion to move through the sediment. This assemblage demonstrates animal-sediment interactions in the latest Ediacaran period, and provides the oldest known fossil evidence for meiofaunal bilaterians. Our discovery highlights meiofaunal ichnofossils as a hitherto unexplored window for tracking animal evolution in deep time, and reveals that both meiofaunal and macrofaunal bilaterians began to explore infaunal niches during the late Ediacaran.

Cambrian stem-group annelids and a metameric origin of the annelid head.

PubMed

Parry, Luke; Vinther, Jakob; Edgecombe, Gregory D

2015-10-01

The oldest fossil annelids come from the Early Cambrian Sirius Passet and Guanshan biotas and Middle Cambrian Burgess Shale. While these are among the best preserved polychaete fossils, their relationship to living taxa is contentious, having been interpreted either as members of extant clades or as a grade outside the crown group. New morphological observations from five Cambrian species include the oldest polychaete with head appendages, a new specimen of Pygocirrus from Sirius Passet, and an undescribed form from the Burgess Shale. We propose that the palps of Canadia are on an anterior segment bearing neuropodia and that the head of Phragmochaeta is formed of a segment bearing biramous parapodia and chaetae. The unusual anatomy of these taxa suggests that the head is not differentiated into a prostomium and peristomium, that palps are derived from a modified parapodium and that the annelid head was originally a parapodium-bearing segment. Canadia, Phragmochaeta and the Marble Canyon annelid share the presence of protective notochaetae, interpreted as a primitive character state subsequently lost in Pygocirrus and Burgessochaeta, in which the head is clearly differentiated from the trunk. © 2015 The Authors.

The oldest known digestive system consisting of both paired digestive glands and a crop from exceptionally preserved trilobites of the Guanshan Biota (Early Cambrian, China)

PubMed Central

Chen, Feiyang; Hu, Shixue; Zhang, Zhifei

2017-01-01

The early Cambrian Guanshan biota of eastern Yunnan, China, contains exceptionally preserved animals and algae. Most diverse and abundant are the arthropods, of which there are at least 11 species of trilobites represented by numerous specimens. Many trilobite specimens show soft-body preservation via iron oxide pseudomorphs of pyrite replacement. Here we describe digestive structures from two species of trilobite, Palaeolenus lantenoisi and Redlichia mansuyi. Multiple specimens of both species contain the preserved remains of an expanded stomach region (a “crop”) under the glabella, a structure which has not been observed in trilobites this old, despite numerous examples of trilobite gut traces from other Cambrian Lagerstätten. In addition, at least one specimen of Palaeolenus lantenoisi shows the preservation of an unusual combination of digestive structures: a crop and paired digestive glands along the alimentary tract. This combination of digestive structures has also never been observed in trilobites this old, and is rare in general, with prior evidence of it from one juvenile trilobite specimen from the late Cambrian Orsten fauna of Sweden and possibly one adult trilobite specimen from the Early Ordovician Fezouata Lagerstätte. The variation in the fidelity of preservation of digestive structures within and across different Lagerstätten may be due to variation in the type, quality, and point of digestion of food among specimens in addition to differences in mode of preservation. The presence and combination of these digestive features in the Guanshan trilobites contradicts current models of how the trilobite digestive system was structured and evolved over time. Most notably, the crop is not a derived structure as previously proposed, although it is possible that the relative size of the crop increased over the evolutionary history of the clade. PMID:28934290

The oldest known digestive system consisting of both paired digestive glands and a crop from exceptionally preserved trilobites of the Guanshan Biota (Early Cambrian, China).

PubMed

Hopkins, Melanie J; Chen, Feiyang; Hu, Shixue; Zhang, Zhifei

2017-01-01

The early Cambrian Guanshan biota of eastern Yunnan, China, contains exceptionally preserved animals and algae. Most diverse and abundant are the arthropods, of which there are at least 11 species of trilobites represented by numerous specimens. Many trilobite specimens show soft-body preservation via iron oxide pseudomorphs of pyrite replacement. Here we describe digestive structures from two species of trilobite, Palaeolenus lantenoisi and Redlichia mansuyi. Multiple specimens of both species contain the preserved remains of an expanded stomach region (a "crop") under the glabella, a structure which has not been observed in trilobites this old, despite numerous examples of trilobite gut traces from other Cambrian Lagerstätten. In addition, at least one specimen of Palaeolenus lantenoisi shows the preservation of an unusual combination of digestive structures: a crop and paired digestive glands along the alimentary tract. This combination of digestive structures has also never been observed in trilobites this old, and is rare in general, with prior evidence of it from one juvenile trilobite specimen from the late Cambrian Orsten fauna of Sweden and possibly one adult trilobite specimen from the Early Ordovician Fezouata Lagerstätte. The variation in the fidelity of preservation of digestive structures within and across different Lagerstätten may be due to variation in the type, quality, and point of digestion of food among specimens in addition to differences in mode of preservation. The presence and combination of these digestive features in the Guanshan trilobites contradicts current models of how the trilobite digestive system was structured and evolved over time. Most notably, the crop is not a derived structure as previously proposed, although it is possible that the relative size of the crop increased over the evolutionary history of the clade.

Rise to modern levels of ocean oxygenation coincided with the Cambrian radiation of animals

PubMed Central

Chen, Xi; Ling, Hong-Fei; Vance, Derek; Shields-Zhou, Graham A.; Zhu, Maoyan; Poulton, Simon W.; Och, Lawrence M.; Jiang, Shao-Yong; Li, Da; Cremonese, Lorenzo; Archer, Corey

2015-01-01

The early diversification of animals (∼630 Ma), and their development into both motile and macroscopic forms (∼575–565 Ma), has been linked to stepwise increases in the oxygenation of Earth's surface environment. However, establishing such a linkage between oxygen and evolution for the later Cambrian ‘explosion' (540–520 Ma) of new, energy-sapping body plans and behaviours has proved more elusive. Here we present new molybdenum isotope data, which demonstrate that the areal extent of oxygenated bottom waters increased in step with the early Cambrian bioradiation of animals and eukaryotic phytoplankton. Modern-like oxygen levels characterized the ocean at ∼521 Ma for the first time in Earth history. This marks the first establishment of a key environmental factor in modern-like ecosystems, where animals benefit from, and also contribute to, the ‘homeostasis' of marine redox conditions. PMID:25980960

High Resolution Biostratigraphy and the Origin of the Basal Cambrian Bedded Chert from the Aksu Area (Tarim Block, Northwestern China)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Z.; Liu, H.; Dong, L.

2017-12-01

The early Cambrian Yurtus Formation in the Aksu area (Tarim block, northwestern China) consists of two lithostratigraphic units, lower black shale with interbedded chert unit and upper siltstone/carbonate unit. This time period represents the most important Proterozoic- Phanerozoic transition in earth's history. In recent years, the black shale has been confirmed to have high hydrocarbon generation potential. However, the depositional environment of the Yurtus Formation remains controversial and the biostratigraphic constrains are rather poor. The chert that is interbedded with black shale in the Yurtus Formation provides an exceptional taphonomic window to capture the diversity of the early Cambrian microfossils. Meanwhile, the origin of the bedded chert would give us some insight into the environmental background when the source rock was deposited. Therefore, in this research, we focus on the chert in the lower Yurtus formation and our purpose is to establish high resolution biostratigraphic framework and to better understand the depositional environment of the source rock. We investigated 4 sections in the Tarim basin: Kungaikuotan, Sugaite, Kule, and Yurtus VI. Abundant acritarch fossils have been identified, including Heliosphaeridium ampliatum, Yurtusia uniformis, and Comasphaeridium annulare. The tubular fossil Megathrix longus is also very common in this formation. In addition, two new types of specimens have been discovered, sheet-like encrolled fossils ( 0.5 mm in size) and regular spindle-like double layered microfossils ( 10μm in diameter). All of these fossils have constant occurrences in the studied sections, and can be well correlated with those yielded from the equivalent interval in South China. The biostratigraphic work suggests the source rock in the lower unit of the Yurtus Formation could be correlated with the Meishucunian small shelly fossil assemblage I and II. The Gemenium/Silicon ratio of the Yurtus chert is less than 1�

Upper Lower Cambrian depositional sequence in Avalonian New Brunswick

USGS Publications Warehouse

Landing, E.; Westrop, S.R.

1996-01-01

The Hanford Brook Formation (emended) is a thin (up to 42+ m), upper Lower Cambrian depositional sequence that is unconformably bounded by the lower Lower Cambrian (Random Formation) and the middle Middle Cambrian (Fossil Brook Member of the Chamberlain's Brook Formation). These stratigraphic relationships of the trilobite-bearing Hanford Brook Formation indicate deposition on the Avalonian marginal platform in the Saint John, New Brunswick, region and provide more evidence for a uniform, latest Precambrian-Cambrian epeirogenic history and cover sequence in Avalon. The Hanford Brook Formation is a deepening - shoaling sequence with (i) lower, transgressive sandstone deposited in episodically high-energy environments (St. Martins Member, new); (ii) highstand-regressive, dysaerobic mudstone - fine-grained sandstone with volcanic ashes (Somerset Street Member, new); and (iii) upper, regressive, planar and hummocky cross-stratified sandstone (Long Island Member, new). Trilobites are common in the distal Somerset Street Member, and ostracodes and brachiopods dominate the St. Martins and Long Island members. Condensation of the St. Martins Member and absence of the Long Island Member where the Random Formation and Fossil Brook Member are thinnest suggest onlap of the Hanford Brook and pronounced, sub-Middle Cambrian erosion across epeirogenically active blocks in southern New Brunswick.

Tubular Obstruction Leads to Progressive Proximal Tubular Injury and Atubular Glomeruli in Polycystic Kidney Disease

PubMed Central

Galarreta, Carolina I.; Grantham, Jared J.; Forbes, Michael S.; Maser, Robin L.; Wallace, Darren P.; Chevalier, Robert L.

2015-01-01

In polycystic kidney disease (PKD), renal parenchyma is destroyed by cysts, hypothesized to obstruct nephrons. A signature of unilateral ureteral obstruction, proximal tubular atrophy leads to formation of atubular glomeruli. To determine whether this process occurs in PKD, kidneys from pcy mice (moderately progressive PKD), kidneys from cpk mice (rapidly progressive PKD), and human autosomal dominant PKD were examined in early and late stages. Integrity of the glomerulotubular junction and proximal tubular mass were determined in sections stained with Lotus tetragonolobus lectin. Development of proximal tubular atrophy and atubular glomeruli was determined in serial sections of individual glomeruli. In pcy mice, most glomerulotubular junctions were normal at 20 weeks, but by 30 weeks, 56% were atrophic and 25% of glomeruli were atubular; glomerulotubular junction integrity decreased with increasing cyst area (r = 0.83, P < 0.05). In cpk mice, all glomerulotubular junctions were normal at 10 days, but by 19 days, 26% had become abnormal. In early-stage autosomal dominant PKD kidneys, 50% of glomeruli were atubular or attached to atrophic tubules; in advanced disease, 100% were abnormal. Thus, proximal tubular injury in cystic kidneys closely parallels that observed with ureteral obstruction. These findings support the hypothesis that, in renal cystic disorders, cyst-dependent obstruction of medullary and cortical tubules initiates a process culminating in widespread destruction of proximal convoluted tubules at the glomerulotubular junction. PMID:24815352

The controversial "Cambrian" fossils of the Vindhyan are real but more than a billion years older.

PubMed

Bengtson, Stefan; Belivanova, Veneta; Rasmussen, Birger; Whitehouse, Martin

2009-05-12

The age of the Vindhyan sedimentary basin in central India is controversial, because geochronology indicating early Proterozoic ages clashes with reports of Cambrian fossils. We present here an integrated paleontologic-geochronologic investigation to resolve this conundrum. New sampling of Lower Vindhyan phosphoritic stromatolitic dolomites from the northern flank of the Vindhyans confirms the presence of fossils most closely resembling those found elsewhere in Cambrian deposits: annulated tubes, embryo-like globules with polygonal surface pattern, and filamentous and coccoidal microbial fabrics similar to Girvanella and Renalcis. None of the fossils, however, can be ascribed to uniquely Cambrian or Ediacaran taxa. Indeed, the embryo-like globules are not interpreted as fossils at all but as former gas bubbles trapped in mucus-rich cyanobacterial mats. Direct dating of the same fossiliferous phosphorite yielded a Pb-Pb isochron of 1,650 +/- 89 (2sigma) million years ago, confirming the Paleoproterozoic age of the fossils. New U-Pb geochronology of zircons from tuffaceous mudrocks in the Lower Vindhyan Porcellanite Formation on the southern flank of the Vindhyans give comparable ages. The Vindhyan phosphorites provide a window of 3-dimensionally preserved Paleoproterozoic fossils resembling filamentous and coccoidal cyanobacteria and filamentous eukaryotic algae, as well as problematic forms. Like Neoproterozoic phosphorites a billion years later, the Vindhyan deposits offer important new insights into the nature and diversity of life, and in particular, the early evolution of multicellular eukaryotes.

Growth patterns of the Cambrian microbialite: Phototropism and speciation of Epiphyton

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Woo, J.; Chough, S. K.

2010-07-01

Microbes started constructing shallow marine stromatolitic bioherms in the Archean, but they transferred their role as a major buildup maker to metazoans in Phanerozoic. Microbial buildups often recovered their predominance in the carbonate platform when reefal metazoan communities collapsed. Epiphyton, an extinct taxon of calcified microbe that possessed branching filamentous trichomes, was an important reef builder in the shallow marine carbonate platform during Middle Cambrian, aftermath of an extinction of archaeocyath sponges which were major reef-building sessile organisms in the Early Cambrian. Here we present direct evidence of phototropism of Epiphyton, found from fossilized behavior in micro- and macro-structures of meter-scale microbial bioherms of the Zhangxia Formation (Middle Cambrian), North China Platform, Shandong Province, China. The bioherms consist of stacked growth layers with the inner and outer divisions divided by distinct boundary. The inner division of growth layers of the Epiphyton bioherm is dominated by dense uniform bush-shaped Epiphyton thalli, whereas the curved outer division has layered texture normal to the surface, comprised of elongated and chambered thalli. It suggests that photosynthetic Epiphyton reacted actively to the spatial changes in intensity of sunlight, controlled by angle of illumination on the curved growth surface of the bioherm. The inner and the outer divisions comprise different morpho-types of Epiphyton. The spatial distributions of different morpho-types in variously illuminated divisions of Epiphyton might have caused further speciation of Epiphyton.

Reconstruction of the Paleoenvironment of the Early Cambrian Yurtus Black Shale in the Tarim Basin, Northwestern China, and Its Control on Organic Matter Accumulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, J.; Ding, W.; Dong, L.

2017-12-01

The black shale in the early Cambrian Yurtus Formation (>521 Ma) in the Tarim basin, northwestern China, is characterized by its high TOC value (up to 16%) andgreat lateral continuity. It has been proven to be high-quality hydrocarbon source rocks. Abundant phytoplanktons and small shelly fossils have been reported from the lower Yurtus chert. However, recent biomarker discovery of aryl isoprenoid hydrocarbons suggests the existence of green sulfur bacteria, which indicates that the water column was stratified and the photic zone was prevailingly euxinic. These seemingly contradictory observations hamper our further understanding of the paleoenvironment in which the Yurtus shale was deposited and its control on the accumulation of organic matter. In this study, we systematically collected samples from the Yurtus Formation at the Kungaikuotan Section, and measured the organic carbon and nitrogen isotopic compositions and the content of trace element Barium (Ba). The strong negative excursions of nitrogen isotope ( -13‰) in the lower and upper parts of the Yurtus Formation are likely attributed to the biological activity of green and purple sulfur bacteria, which is consistent with our organic carbon isotope data as well as previous biomarker discovery. As green sulfur bacteria can only live in euxinic photic zone, it may indicate that the water column above this euxinic zone contains prolific organic matters which consume all the dissolved oxidants in surface ocean. It is well accepted that Ba flux can be used as an indicator for surface ocean primary productivity. Significant increase of barium content (from <100 to 2000 ppm) is observed at the same horizon as where the negative excursion of δ15Norg occurs, suggesting the substantive organic matter in the early Cambrian surface ocean mainly result from extremely high primary productivity. The abundant phytoplankton fossil record from this time period also supports this interpretation. In summary, high TOC in the

Sophisticated digestive systems in early arthropods.

PubMed

Vannier, Jean; Liu, Jianni; Lerosey-Aubril, Rudy; Vinther, Jakob; Daley, Allison C

2014-05-02

Understanding the way in which animals diversified and radiated during their early evolutionary history remains one of the most captivating of scientific challenges. Integral to this is the 'Cambrian explosion', which records the rapid emergence of most animal phyla, and for which the triggering and accelerating factors, whether environmental or biological, are still unclear. Here we describe exceptionally well-preserved complex digestive organs in early arthropods from the early Cambrian of China and Greenland with functional similarities to certain modern crustaceans and trace these structures through the early evolutionary lineage of fossil arthropods. These digestive structures are assumed to have allowed for more efficient digestion and metabolism, promoting carnivory and macrophagy in early arthropods via predation or scavenging. This key innovation may have been of critical importance in the radiation and ecological success of Arthropoda, which has been the most diverse and abundant invertebrate phylum since the Cambrian.

Late Precambrian-Cambrian sediments of Huqf group, Sultanate of Oman

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

Gorin, G.E.; Racz, L.G.; Walter, M.R.

1982-12-01

The Huqf Group is the oldest known sedimentary sequence overlying crystalline basement in the Sultanate of Oman. It crops out on a broad regional high, the Huqf Axis, which forms a dominating structural element on the southeastern edge of the Arabian peninsula. Subsurface and outcrop evidence within and outside of Oman suggests that the sediments of the Huqf Group lie within the age span of late Precambrian to Early-Middle Cambrian. The Huqf Group is subdivided into five formations corresponding to an alternation of clastics (Abu Mahara and Shuram Formations) and carbonates (Khufai and Buah Formations) deposited in essentially shallow marinemore » to supratidal (or fluviatile) conditions and terminated by an evaporitic sequence (Ara Formation). Evaporites are absent on the Huqf Axis, but they are thickly developed to the west over a large part of southern and central Oman, where they acted as the major structure former of most of Oman's fields, and even locally pierced up to the surface. Regional correlations suggest that the predominantly carbonate-evaporitic facies of the Huqf Group was widely distributed in late Precambrian-Early Cambrian time: the Huqf basin is tentatively considered part of a belt of evaporitic basins and intervening carbonate platforms, which stretched across the Pangea landmass from the Indian subcontinent (Salt Range of Pakistan) through South Yemen, Oman, and Saudi Arabia into the gulf states and Iran (Hormuz Series and carbonate platform north of the Zagros).« less

Latest Cambrian-Early Ordovician rift-related magmatic activity in the Kouřim Unit, Bohemian Massif

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soejono, Igor; Machek, Matej; Sláma, Jiří; Janoušek, Vojtěch

2017-04-01

inherited from the source, represented most likely by recycled immature arc-related material (?metagraywackes). The real tectonic setting of this Late Cambrian magmatic activity seems rather indicated by the within-plate geochemistry of the metadiorite. These results bring further evidence for the presence of the Late Cambrian-Early Ordovician extensional event documented throughout the basement of the European Variscan Belt. Together with other occurrences of bimodal magmatism, as well as metamorphic and sedimentary record, indicate an important period of lithospheric thinning. This overall Early Palaeozoic rift-related architecture is often considered as a consequence of the Rheic Ocean opening.

3D-Mapping of Dolomitized Structures in Lower Cambrian Phosphorites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hippler, Dorothee; Stammeier, Jessica A.; Brunner, Roland; Rosc, Jördis; Franz, Gerhard; Dietzel, Martin

2016-04-01

Dolomitization is a widespread phenomenon in ancient sedimentary rocks, particularly close to the Precambrian-Cambrian boundary. Dolomite can form in synsedimentary or hydrothermal environments, preferentially via the replacement of solid carbonate precursor phases. Synsedimentary dolomite formation is often associated with microbial activity, such as bacterial sulfate reduction or methanogenesis. In this study, we investigate dolomitic phosphorites from the Lowermost Cambrian Tal Group, Mussoori Syncline, Lesser Himalaya, India, using micro-CT 3D-mapping, in order to unravel the complex diagenetic history of the rocks. The selected sample shows alternating layering of phosphatic mudstones and sparitic dolostone, in which brecciated layers of phosphorite or phosphatic mudstones are immersed in a dolomite-rich matrix. Lamination occurs on a sub-millimetre scale, with lamination sometimes wavy to crinkly. This fabric is interpreted as former microbial mats, providing the environment for early diagenetic phosphatization. Preliminary electron backscatter imaging with scanning microscopy revealed that dolomite crystals often occur in spherical to ellipsoidal structures, typically with a high porosity. This dolomite is associated with botryoidal apatite, organic matter and small amounts of calcite. Micro-CT 3D-mappings reveal that dolomite structures are cigar-shaped, elongated and up to 600 μm long. They are further arranged in a Mikado-like oriented framework spanning a layer thickness of a few millimetres. Analyses of ambient pore space, with similar elongated outlines and filled with organic matter, suggest a potential coherence of ambient pore space and shape of the dolomite structures. Allowing for other associated mineral phases, such as pyrite and silicates, and their spatial distribution, the present approach can be used to unravel distinct diagenetic reaction pathways, and might thus constrain the proxy potential of these Lower Cambrian dolomitic phosphorites

Ichnologic evidence of a Cambrian age in the southern Amazon Craton: Implications for the onset of the Western Gondwana history

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Santos, Hudson P.; Mángano, M. Gabriela; Soares, Joelson L.; Nogueira, Afonso C. R.; Bandeira, José; Rudnitzki, Isaac D.

2017-07-01

Colonization of the infaunal ecospace by burrowing bilaterians is one of the most important behavioral innovations during the Ediacaran-Cambrian transition. The establishment of vertical burrows by suspension feeders in high-energy nearshore settings during Cambrian Age 2 is reflected by the appearance of the Skolithos Ichnofacies. For the first time, unquestionable vertical burrows typical of the Skolithos Ichnofacies, such as Skolithos linearis, Diplocraterion parallelum and Arenicolites isp., are recorded from nearshore siliciclastic deposits of the Raizama Formation, southeastern Amazon Craton, Brazil. Integration of ichnologic and sedimentologic datasets suggests that these trace fossils record colonization of high-energy and well-oxygenated nearshore sandy environments. Chronostratigraphically, the presence of these vertical burrows indicates an age not older than early Cambrian for the Raizama Formation, which traditionally has been regarded as Ediacaran. Therefore, the Raizama ichnofauna illustrates the advent of modern Phanerozoic ecology marked by the Agronomic Revolution. The discovery of the Skolithos Ichnofacies in these shallow-marine strata suggests possible connections between some central Western Gondwana basins.

Reconstructing the Avalon continent: Marginal to inner platform transition in the Cambrian of southern New Brunswick

USGS Publications Warehouse

Landing, E.

1996-01-01

A west to east, marginal to inner Avalonian platform transition, comparable to that in southeast Newfoundland and southern Britain, is present in the Cambrian of southern New Brunswick. The Saint John - Caton's Island - Hanford Brook area lay on the marginal platform, and its thick, uppermost Precambrian - lower Lower Cambrian is unconformably overlain by trilobite-bearing, upper Lower Cambrian. An inner platform remnant is preserved in the Cradle Brook outlier 60 km northeast of Saint John. In contrast to the marginal platform sequences, the Cradle Brook outlier has a very thin lower Lower Cambrian and has middle Lower Cambrian strata (Bonavista Group) not present on the marginal platform. The Cradle Brook Lower Cambrian closely resembles inner platform successions in eastern Massachusetts and Trinity and Placentia bays, southeast Newfoundland. A limestone with Camenella baltica Zone fossils on Cradle Brook seems to be the peritidal limestone cap of the subtrilobitic Lower Cambrian known in Avalonian North America (Fosters Point Formation) and England (Home Farm Member).

The Cambrian Evolutionary Explosion: Novel Evidence from Fossils Studied by X-ray Tomography

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

Chen, Jun-Yuan

The Cambrian explosion (from 542 million years to 488 million years ago) is one of the greatest mysteries in evolutionary biology. It wasn't until this period that complex organisms became common and diverse. the magnitude of the event can be understood based on the contrast between the biota and the degree of diversity of the fossils from both sides. great advances have been made in Cambrian palaeontology over the past century, especially the discovery of the well-preserved soft-bodied fauna from the Middle Cambrian Burgess Shale and the Lower Cambrian Maotianshan Shale deposits. The Cambrian side of the "Cambrian explosion" ismore » richly illustrated and contrasts greatly with the Precambrian side. The study of these extraordinarily preserved fossil biota is extremely difficult. A major challenge is 3-D reconstruction and determining the patter of the cell organization in Weng'an embryos and their buried structures in Maotianshan Shale fossils. This talk will show that two recent technological approaches, propagation phase contrast synchrotron x-ray microtomography and microtomography, provide unique analytical tools that permit the nondestructive computational examination and visualization of the internal and buried characters in virtual sections in any plane, and virtual 3-D depictions of internal structures.« less

Depositional Architecture of Late Cambrian-Early Ordovician Siliciclastic Barik Formation; Al Huqf Area, Oman

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abbasi, Iftikhar Ahmed

2017-04-01

Early Paleozoic siliciclastics sediments of the Haima Supergroup are subdivided into a number of formations and members based on lithological characteristics of various rock sequences. One of the distinct sandstone sequence, the Barik Formation (Late Cambrian-Early Ordovician) of the Andam Group is a major deep gas reservoir in central Oman. The sandstone bodies are prospective reservoir rocks while thick shale and clay interbeds act as effective seal. Part of the Barik Formation (lower and middle part) is exposed in isolated outcrops in Al Huqf area as interbedded multistoried sandstone, and green and red shale. The sandstone bodies are up to 2 meters thick and can be traced laterally for 300 m to over 1 km. Most of sandstone bodies show both lateral and vertical stacking. Two types of sandstone lithofacies are identified on the basis of field characteristics; a plane-bedded sandstone lithofacies capping thick red and green color shale beds, and a cross-bedded sandstone lithofacies overlying the plane-bedded sandstone defining coarsening upward sequences. The plane-bedded sandstone at places contains Cruziana ichnofacies and bivalve fragments indicating deposition by shoreface processes. Thick cross-bedded sandstone is interpreted to be deposited by the fluvial dominated deltaic processes. Load-casts, climbing ripples and flaser-bedding in siltstone and red shale indicate influence of tidal processes at times during the deposition of the formation. This paper summarizes results of a study carried out in Al Huqf area outcrops to analyze the characteristics of the sandstone-body geometry, internal architecture, provenance and diagenetic changes in the lower and middle part of the formation. The study shows build-up of a delta complex and its progradation over a broad, low-angle shelf where fluvial processes operate beside shoreface processes in a vegetation free setting. Keywords: Andam Group, Barik Formation, Ordovician sandstone, Al Huqf, Central Oman,

Darwin's dilemma: the realities of the Cambrian ‘explosion’

PubMed Central

Conway Morris, Simon

2006-01-01

The Cambrian ‘explosion’ is widely regarded as one of the fulcrum points in the history of life, yet its origins and causes remain deeply controversial. New data from the fossil record, especially of Burgess Shale-type Lagerstätten, indicate, however, that the assembly of bodyplans is not only largely a Cambrian phenomenon, but can already be documented in fair detail. This speaks against a much more ancient origin of the metazoans, and current work is doing much to reconcile the apparent discrepancies between the fossil record, including the Ediacaran assemblages of latest Neoproterozoic age and molecular ‘clocks’. Hypotheses to explain the Cambrian ‘explosion’ continue to be generated, but the recurrent confusion of cause and effect suggests that the wrong sort of question is being asked. Here I propose that despite its step-like function this evolutionary event is the inevitable consequence of Earth and biospheric change. PMID:16754615

Trace fossils and substrates of the terminal Proterozoic–Cambrian transition: Implications for the record of early bilaterians and sediment mixing

PubMed Central

Droser, Mary L.; Jensen, Sören; Gehling, James G.

2002-01-01

The trace fossil record is important in determining the timing of the appearance of bilaterian animals. A conservative estimate puts this time at ≈555 million years ago. The preservational potential of traces made close to the sediment–water interface is crucial to detecting early benthic activity. Our studies on earliest Cambrian sediments suggest that shallow tiers were preserved to a greater extent than typical for most of the Phanerozoic, which can be attributed both directly and indirectly to the low levels of sediment mixing. The low levels of sediment mixing meant that thin event beds were preserved. The shallow depth of sediment mixing also meant that muddy sediments were firm close to the sediment–water interface, increasing the likelihood of recording shallow-tier trace fossils in muddy sediments. Overall, trace fossils can provide a sound record of the onset of bilaterian benthic activity. PMID:12271130

The anatomy, taphonomy, taxonomy and systematic affinity of Markuelia: Early Cambrian to Early Ordovician scalidophorans

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dong, X.-P.; Bengtson, S.; Gostling, N.J.; Cunningham, J.A.; Harvey, T.H.P.; Kouchinsky, A.; Val'Kov, A.K.; Repetski, J.E.; Stampanoni, M.; Marone, F.; Donoghue, P.C.J.

2010-01-01

Markuelia is a vermiform, annulated introvertan animal known as embryonic fossils from the Lower Cambrian to Lower Ordovician. Analysis of an expanded and revised dataset for Introverta shows that the precise position of Markuelia within this clade is dependent on the taxa included. As a result, Markuelia is assigned to the scalidophoran total group to reflect uncertainty as to whether it is a stem-scalidophoran or a stem-priapulid. The taxonomy of the genus is revised to provide an improved taxonomic framework for material assigned to Markuelia. Five species are recognized: M. secunda Val'kov, M. hunanensis Dong and Donoghue, M. lauriei Haug et al., M. spinulifera sp. nov. and M. waloszeki sp. nov. Finally, the preservation of Markuelia is evaluated in the light of both the taphonomy of the fossil embryos themselves and the experimental taphonomy of the priapulid Priapulus caudatus, which has been proposed as both a close relative and an anatomical analogue of Markuelia. ?? The Palaeontological Association.

Early animal evolution: emerging views from comparative biology and geology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Knoll, A. H.; Carroll, S. B.

1999-01-01

The Cambrian appearance of fossils representing diverse phyla has long inspired hypotheses about possible genetic or environmental catalysts of early animal evolution. Only recently, however, have data begun to emerge that can resolve the sequence of genetic and morphological innovations, environmental events, and ecological interactions that collectively shaped Cambrian evolution. Assembly of the modern genetic tool kit for development and the initial divergence of major animal clades occurred during the Proterozoic Eon. Crown group morphologies diversified in the Cambrian through changes in the genetic regulatory networks that organize animal ontogeny. Cambrian radiation may have been triggered by environmental perturbation near the Proterozoic-Cambrian boundary and subsequently amplified by ecological interactions within reorganized ecosystems.

Upper Cambrian chitons (Mollusca, polyplacophora) from Missouri, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Pojeta, J.; Vendrasco, M.J.; Darrough, G.

2010-01-01

Numerous new specimens reveal a greater presence of chitons in Upper Cambrian rocks than previously suspected. Evidence is presented showing that the chiton esthete sensory system is present in all chiton species in this study at the very beginning of the known polyplacophoran fossil record. The stratigraphic occurrences and paleobiogeography of Late Cambrian chitons are documented. The 14 previously-named families of Cambrian and Ordovician chitons are reviewed and analyzed. Aulochitonidae n. fam. is defined, based on Aulochiton n. gen.; A. sannerae n. sp. is also defined. The long misunderstood family Preacanthochitonidae and its type genus Preacanthochiton Bergenhayn, 1960, are placed in synonymy with Mattheviidae and Chelodes Davidson & King, 1874, respectively; Eochelodes Marek, 1962, also is placed in synonymy with Chelodes, and Elongata Stinchcomb & Darrough, 1995, is placed in synonymy with Hemithecella Ulrich & Bridge, 1941. At the species level, H. elongata Stinchcomb & Darrough, 1995, and Elongata perplexa Stinchcomb & Darrough, 1995, are placed in synonymy with H. eminensis Stinchcomb & Darrough, 1995. The Ordovician species H. abrupta Stinchcomb & Darrough, 1995, is transferred to the genus Chelodes as C. abrupta (Stinchcomb & Darrough, 1995). The Ordovician species Preacanthochiton baueri Hoare & Pojeta, 2006, is transferred to the genus Helminthochiton as H. ? baueri (Hoare & Pojeta, 2006). The Ordovician species H. marginatus Hoare & Pojeta, 2006, is transferred to the genus Litochiton as L. marginatus (Hoare & Pojeta, 2006). Matthevia walcotti Runnegar, Pojeta, Taylor, & Collins, 1979, is treated as a synonym of Hemithecella expansa Ulrich & Bridge, 1941. In addition, other multivalved Cambrian mollusks are discussed; within this group, Dycheiidae n. fam. is defined, as well as Paradycheia dorisae n. gen. and n. sp. Cladistic analysis indicates a close relationship among the genera here assigned to the Mattheviidae, and between Echinochiton Pojeta

Evolution of the seawater sulfate sulfur composition through the Cambrian Period: Implications from carbonate-associated sulfate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wotte, T.

2012-12-01

Cambrian carbonate successions of Australia, W-Gondwana, Kazakhstan, Laurentia, and Siberia were investigated for their sulfur isotopic composition of carbonate-associated sulfate (CAS). For a secure CAS extraction a repeated leaching procedure with NaCl solution was applied as a standard protocol with supplementary analyses of pre-leach sulfate concentrations and δ34SNaCl, and chromium-reducible sulfur (CRS) concentrations and δ34SCRS as routine checks on possible contamination. Additionally, δ13Ccarb, δ18Ocarb, and elemental concentrations (Ca, Fe, Mg, Mn, Sr) of the carbonate host rock were analyzed in order to constrain diagenetic alteration of the measured δ34SCAS. About 200 δ34SCAS values were generated using this analytical procedure which allows the most precise state of the art methodology for CAS and CRS extraction. The most primary δ34SCAS values vary between 24‰ and 33‰ for successions of the transition from Cambrian Series 2 to Cambrian Series 3 (traditional Lower-Middle Cambrian boundary) and between 25‰ and 48‰ for the Cambrian Series 3-Furongian (Upper Cambrian) interval, respectively. These new δ34SCAS data are valuable proxies to verify paleoecological and paleoenvironmental information. They further close an obvious gap of the Cambrian δ34SCAS record, composed of δ34SCAS values, ranging from about 20‰ up to 70‰ (SPICE-event). However, the individual data sets of this Cambrian δ34SCAS pool were generated using various methods of CAS extraction, thus offering the potential of significant differences in the final δ34SCAS values which are consequently not per se comparable with each other. The new δ34SCAS data of worldwide Cambrian sections will be discussed in the context of this problematic.

The significance of 24-norcholestanes, triaromatic steroids and dinosteroids in oils and Cambrian-Ordovician source rocks from the cratonic region of the Tarim Basin, NW China

USGS Publications Warehouse

Li, Meijun; Wang, T.-G.; Lillis, Paul G.; Wang, Chunjiang; Shi, Shengbao

2012-01-01

Two oil families in Ordovician reservoirs from the cratonic region of the Tarim Basin are distinguished by the distribution of regular steranes, triaromatic steroids, norcholestanes and dinosteroids. Oils with relatively lower contents of C28 regular steranes, C26 20S, C26 20R + C27 20S and C27 20R regular triaromatic steroids, dinosteranes, 24-norcholestanes and triaromatic dinosteroids originated from Middle–Upper Ordovician source rocks. In contrast, oils with abnormally high abundances of the above compounds are derived from Cambrian and Lower Ordovician source rocks. Only a few oils have previously been reported to be of Cambrian and Lower Ordovician origin, especially in the east region of the Tarim Basin. This study further reports the discovery of oil accumulations of Cambrian and Lower Ordovician origin in the Tabei and Tazhong Uplifts, which indicates a potential for further discoveries involving Cambrian and Lower Ordovician sourced oils in the Tarim Basin. Dinosteroids in petroleum and ancient sediments are generally thought to be biomarkers for dinoflagellates and 24-norcholestanes for dinoflagellates and diatoms. Therefore, the abnormally high abundance of these compounds in extracts from the organic-rich sediments in the Cambrian and Lower Ordovician and related oils in the cratonic region of the Tarim Basin suggests that phytoplankton algae related to dinoflagellates have appeared and might have flourished in the Tarim Basin during the Cambrian Period. Steroids with less common structural configurations are underutilized and can expand understanding of the early development history of organisms, as well as define petroleum systems.

"Soft-shelled" monothalamid foraminifers as a modern analogue of early life

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kitazato, Hiroshi; Ohkawara, Nina; Gooday, Andrew

2017-04-01

According to the fossil record, the earliest undoubted foraminifers are found in the Early Cambrian, where they are represented by tubular agglutinated forms, thought to be the most primitive foraminiferal morphotypes. The numerous foraminifers with single-chambered, organic-walled tests (i.e. 'soft-shelled' monothalamids) exist in the deep sea and are difficult to preserve as fossils. Molecular phylogenetic data tell us that these 'primitive' taxa include the deepest foraminiferal clades, originating around 600 - 900 Ma. We found many soft-shelled monothalamids in sediment samples from deep trenches, including the Challenger Deep (Marianas Trench) and the Horizon Deep (Tonga Trench). Both deeps exceed 10,000 m water depth, well below the carbonate compensation depth, which represents an environmental barrier for calcareous foraminifera. The foraminifera at these extreme hadal sites include tubular and globular forms with organic walls, among which species of the genera Nodellum and Resigella are particularly abundant. Some forms selectively agglutinate minute flakes of clay minerals on the surface of the organic test. Many soft-shelled monothalamids, including most of those in deep tranches, contain stercomata, the function of which is currently unknown. Gromiids (a rhizarian group related to foraminifera) also accumulate stercomata in their sack-shaped tests. This suggests the possibility that the function of these waste particles is to add bulk, like the filling of soft bags or pillows. We suggest that the monothalamid foraminifera that dominate small-sized eukaryotes in extreme hadal settings may provide clues to understanding the biology and ecology of early life in Neoproterozoic sedimented habitats.

Carbonate rocks of Cambrian and Ordovician age in the Lancaster quadrangle, Pennsylvania

USGS Publications Warehouse

Meisler, Harold; Becher, Albert E.

1968-01-01

Detailed mapping has shown that the carbonate rocks of Cambrian and Ordovician age in the Lancaster quadrangle, Pennsylvania, can be divided into 14 rock-stratigraphic units. These units are defined primarily by their relative proportions of limestone and dolomite. The oldest units, the Vintage, Kinzers, and Ledger Formations of Cambrian age, and the Conestoga Limestone of Ordovician age are retained in this report. The Zooks Corner Formation, of Cambrian age, a dolomite unit overlying the Ledger Dolomite, is named here for exposures along Conestoga Creek near the village of Zooks Corner. The Conococheague (Cambrian) and Beekmantown (Ordovician) Limestones, as mapped by earlier workers, have been elevated to group rank and subdivided into formations that are correlated with and named for geologic units in Lebanon and Berks Counties, Pa. These formations, from oldest to youngest, are the Buffalo Springs, Snitz Creek, Millbach, and Richland Formations of the Conococheague Group, and the Stonehenge, Bpler, and Ontelaunee Formations of the Beekmantown Group. The Annville and Myerstown Limestones, which are named for lithologically similar units in Dauphin and Lebanon Counties, Pa., overlie the Beekmantown Group in one small area in the quadrangle.

Articulated Wiwaxia from the Cambrian Stage 3 Xiaoshiba lagerstätte.

PubMed

Yang, Jie; Smith, Martin R; Lan, Tian; Hou, Jin-bo; Zhang, Xi-guang

2014-04-10

Wiwaxia is a bizarre metazoan that has been interpreted as a primitive mollusc and as a polychaete annelid worm. Extensive material from the Burgess Shale provides a detailed picture of its morphology and ontogeny, but the fossil record outside this lagerstätte is scarce, and complete wiwaxiids are particularly rare. Here we report small articulated specimens of Wiwaxia foliosa sp. nov. from the Xiaoshiba fauna (Cambrian Stage 3, Hongjingshao Formation, Kunming, south China). Although spines are absent, the fossils' sclerites - like those of W. corrugata - are symmetrically arranged in five distinct zones. They form rows across the body, and were individually added and shed throughout growth to retain an approximately symmetrical body shape. Their development pattern suggests a molluscan affinity. The basic body plan of wiwaxiids is fundamentally conserved across two continents through Cambrian Stages 3-5 - revealing morphological stasis in the wake of the Cambrian explosion.

Dysfunctional tubular endoplasmic reticulum constitutes a pathological feature of Alzheimer's disease.

PubMed

Sharoar, M G; Shi, Q; Ge, Y; He, W; Hu, X; Perry, G; Zhu, X; Yan, R

2016-09-01

Pathological features in Alzheimer's brains include mitochondrial dysfunction and dystrophic neurites (DNs) in areas surrounding amyloid plaques. Using a mouse model that overexpresses reticulon 3 (RTN3) and spontaneously develops age-dependent hippocampal DNs, here we report that DNs contain both RTN3 and REEPs, topologically similar proteins that can shape tubular endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Importantly, ultrastructural examinations of such DNs revealed gradual accumulation of tubular ER in axonal termini, and such abnormal tubular ER inclusion is found in areas surrounding amyloid plaques in biopsy samples from Alzheimer's disease (AD) brains. Functionally, abnormally clustered tubular ER induces enhanced mitochondrial fission in the early stages of DN formation and eventual mitochondrial degeneration at later stages. Furthermore, such DNs are abrogated when RTN3 is ablated in aging and AD mouse models. Hence, abnormally clustered tubular ER can be pathogenic in brain regions: disrupting mitochondrial integrity, inducing DNs formation and impairing cognitive function in AD and aging brains.

Stratigraphic Framework of Cambrian and Ordovician Rocks in the Appalachian Basin from Sequatchie County, Tennessee, through Eastern Kentucky, to Mingo County, West Virginia

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ryder, Robert T.; Crangle, Robert D.; Repetski, John E.; Harris, Anita G.

2008-01-01

Cross section H-H' is the seventh in a series of restored cross sections constructed by the lead author to show the stratigraphic framework of Cambrian and Ordovician rocks in the Appalachian basin from Pennsylvania to Tennessee. The sections show complexly intertongued carbonate and siliciclastic lithofacies, marked thickness variations, key marker horizons, unconformities, stratigraphic nomenclature of the Cambrian and Ordovician sequence, and major faults that offset Proterozoic basement and overlying lower Paleozoic rocks. Several of the drill holes along the cross section have yielded a variety of whole and (or) fragmented conodont elements. The identifiable conodonts are used to differentiate strata of Late Cambrian, Early Ordovician, and Middle Ordovician age, and their conodont color alteration index (CAI) values are used to establish the thermal maturity of the sequence. Previous cross sections in this series are G-G', F-F', E-E', D-D', C-C', and B-B'. Many of these cross sections (B-B', C-C', D-D', and G-G') have been improved with the addition of gamma-ray log traces, converted to digital images, and made accessible on the Web.

Nephrolithiasis in renal tubular acidosis.

PubMed

Buckalew, V M

1989-03-01

Renal tubular acidosis is a term applied to several conditions in which metabolic acidosis is caused by specific defects in renal tubular hydrogen ion secretion. Three types of renal tubular acidosis generally are recognized based on the nature of the tubular defect. Nephrolithiasis occurs only in type I renal tubular acidosis, a condition marked by an abnormality in the generation and maintenance of a hydrogen ion gradient by the distal tubule. A forme fruste of type I renal tubular acidosis has been described in which the characteristic defect in distal hydrogen ion secretion occurs in the absence of metabolic acidosis (incomplete renal tubular acidosis). Type I renal tubular acidosis is a heterogeneous disorder that may be hereditary, idiopathic or secondary to a variety of conditions. Secondary type I renal tubular acidosis in sporadic cases is associated most commonly with autoimmune diseases, such as Sjögren's syndrome and systemic lupus erythematosus, and it occurs more frequently in women than men. Nephrolithiasis, which may occur in any of the subsets of type I renal tubular acidosis, accounts for most of the morbidity in adults and adolescents. Major risk factors for nephrolithiasis include alkaline urine, hypercalciuria and hypocitraturia. In addition, we found hyperuricosuria in 21 per cent of the patients with type I renal tubular acidosis with nephrolithiasis. The most frequently occurring risk factor, hypocitraturia, is due to decreased filtered load and/or to increased tubular reabsorption of filtered citrate. While increased tubular reabsorption may be due to systemic acidosis, hypocitraturia occurs in incomplete renal tubular acidosis. Furthermore, alkali therapy (either bicarbonate or citrate salts) increases citrate excretion in complete and incomplete type I renal tubular acidosis. These data suggest that hypocitraturia in type I renal tubular acidosis may be due to a defect in proximal tubule function. Hypercalciuria appears to have 2 causes

Antarctica, supercontinents and the palaeogeography of the Cambrian 'explosion'

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dalziel, Ian

2014-05-01

Laurentia is bordered by latest Precambrian-Cambrian rifted margins and must therefore have been located within a Precambrian supercontinent. Geochronologic and geochemical evidence indicates that it was attached to parts of the East Antarctic craton within the Rodinian supercontinent in the late Mesoproterozoic. The Mawson craton of Antarctica rifted from the proto-Pacific margin of Laurentia during the Neooproterozoic, colliding with the present 'southern cone' of Laurentia at ~600 Ma along the Shackleton Range suture zone as Gondwana and Laurentia amalgamated to form the ephemeral Pannotia supercontinental assembly at the end of the Precambrian. The abrupt appearance of almost all animal phyla in the fossil record is often colloquially referred to as the Cambrian 'explosion' of life on Earth. It is also named 'Darwin's dilemma,' as he appreciated that this seemingly mysterious event posed a major problem for his theory of evolution by natural selection. It coincided with a time of major marine transgression over all the continents. Although the metazoan 'explosion' is now seen as more protracted than formerly recognized, it is still regarded one of the most critical events in the history of the biosphere. One of the most striking aspects of the earliest Cambrian fossils is geographic differentiation. In particular, the first benthic trilobite faunas on Laurentia, ancestral North America, and the newly amalgamated southern supercontinent of Gondwana are distinctly different. This has led to the suggestion of an unknown vicariant event intervening between an ancestral trilobite clade and higher members that are represented in the fossil record, possibly one related to the breakup of a supercontinent. Igneous rocks along the Panthalassic margin of Gondwana, including South America, southernmost Africa and the Ellsworth-Whitmore crustal block of Antarctica, and along the proto-Appalachian margin of Laurentia indicate that final separation of Laurentia from

Recognition of Macluritella ( Gastropoda) from the Upper Cambrian of Missouri and Nevada ( USA).

USGS Publications Warehouse

Yochelson, E.L.; Stinchcomb, B.L.

1987-01-01

Open-coiled euomphalacean gastropods have been identified for the first time in the Upper Cambrian Eminence Dolomite of Missouri. These gastropods have a triangular whorl profile and are conspecific with Hyolithes walcotti described from the Upper Cambrian of Nevada. That species is questionably reassigned to the gastropod genus Macluritella, hitherto known only from the Lower Ordovician of Colorado. -Authors Ordovician Colorado

Middle to late Cambrian shallow marine trace fossils from the Imfout Syncline (Western Meseta, Morocco): Palaeoecological and palaeoenvironmental significance in NW-Gondwana

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oukassou, Mostafa; Lagnaoui, Abdelouahed; Raji, Mohammed; Michard, André; Saddiqi, Omar

2017-05-01

The present research provides the first evidence of invertebrate activity assigned to the ichnogenus Selenichnites occurring together with moderately diverse ichnofossils from the middle to late Cambrian of the Moroccan Meseta. The invertebrate traces occur in sandstone strata of the El Hank Formation within the Imfout Syncline, in the northern part of the Rehamna Massif (Coastal Block, western Moroccan Meseta). Bedding surfaces from the top of the El Hank Formation near the Imfout Dam show diverse forms of current ripples and distincts crescentic ichnofossils in concave epirelief scattered on the surface. In this section, the traces provide evidence of the ethology of an organism inhabiting the relatively shallow waters of the area during this time. Selenichnites co-occurs with the ichnogenera Arenicolites, Diplocraterion, Lingulichnus, Monocraterion, Skolithos and unidentified burrows, and the ichnoassemblage is referred to the Skolithos ichnofacies. These traces can be referred to arthropods (e.g. polychaete worms and amphipod crustaceans), lingulid brachiopods, annelids and/or phoronids. The Imfout Selenichnites represents the first occurrence of this ichnogenus from the Cambrian of the Moroccan Meseta, and the second from the Cambrian deposits of Morocco. The potential tracemakers are still questionable, but were most likely xiphosurans, trilobites, euthycarcinoids or crustaceans. If so, the Imfout traces could be among the oldest pieces of evidence for the presence of horseshoe crabs during the Cambrian. The combination of sedimentological and ichnological data indicates that the El Hank Formation was deposited in a sublittoral soft ground environment next to a sandy shore. It was originally part of an early Palaeozoic shallow marine epicontinental platform in west-central Morocco. In addition to the equivalent Cambrian deposits from the Anti-Atlas, the El Hank Formation constituted a part of the northern Gondwana platform domain during the transgression

Neoproterozoic–Cambrian stratigraphic framework of the Anti-Atlas and Ouzellagh promontory (High Atlas), Morocco

USGS Publications Warehouse

Alvaro, Jose Javier; Benziane, Fouad; Thomas, Robert; Walsh, Gregory J.; Yazidi, Abdelaziz

2014-01-01

In the last two decades, great progress has been made in the geochronological, chrono- and chemostratigraphic control of the Neoproterozoic and Cambrian from the Anti-Atlas Ranges and the Ouzellagh promontory (High Atlas). As a result, the Neoproterozoic is lithostratigraphically subdivided into: (i) the Lkest-Taghdout Group (broadly interpreted at c. 800–690 Ma) representative of rift-to-passive margin conditions on the northern West African craton; (ii) the Iriri (c. 760–740 Ma), Bou Azzer (c. 762–697 Ma) and Saghro (c. 760?–610 Ma) groups, the overlying Anezi, Bou Salda, Dadès and Tiddiline formations localized in fault-grabens, and the Ouarzazate Supergroup (c. 615–548 Ma), which form a succession of volcanosedimentary complexes recording the onset of the Pan-African orogeny and its aftermath; and (iii) the Taroudant (the Ediacaran–Cambrian boundary lying in the Tifnout Member of the Adoudou Formation), Tata, Feijas Internes and Tabanite groups that have recorded development of the late Ediacaran–Cambrian Atlas Rift. Recent discussions of Moroccan strata to select new global GSSPs by the International Subcommissions on Ediacaran and Cambrian Stratigraphy have raised the stratigraphic interest in this region. A revised and updated stratigraphic framework is proposed here to assist the tasks of both subcommissions and to fuel future discussions focused on different geological aspects of the Neoproterozoic–Cambrian time span.

Tubular graphite cones.

PubMed

Zhang, Guangyu; Jiang, Xin; Wang, Enge

2003-04-18

We report the synthesis of tubular graphite cones using a chemical vapor deposition method. The cones have nanometer-sized tips, micrometer-sized roots, and hollow interiors with a diameter ranging from about 2 to several tens of nanometers. The cones are composed of cylindrical graphite sheets; a continuous shortening of the graphite layers from the interior to the exterior makes them cone-shaped. All of the tubular graphite cones have a faceted morphology. The constituent graphite sheets have identical chiralities of a zigzag type across the entire diameter, imparting structural control to tubular-based carbon structures. The tubular graphite cones have potential for use as tips for scanning probe microscopy, but with greater rigidity and easier mounting than currently used carbon nanotubes.

Relationship between the Neoproterozoic snowball Earth and Cambrian explosion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maruyama, S.; Yoshihara, A.; Isozaki, Y.

2007-12-01

Origin of snowball Earth has been debated in terms of greenhouse gas (e.g., Hoffman and Schrag), obliqueness of Earth's rotation axis (Williams, 1975), true polar wander (Evans, 2003), Galactic cosmic ray radiation (Shaviv and Veizer, 2003; Svensmark, 2006), or weakened geomagnetism (Maruyama and Yoshihara, 2003). A major difficulty for the greenhouse gas hypothesis is the on-off switch causing decrease and increase of appropriate amounts of CO2 by plume- and plate tectonics, and also in available amount of CO2 in atmosphere to be consistent with the observations. In contrast, the cosmic ray radiation models due to the star burst peaked at 2.5- 2.1 Ga and 1.4-0.8 Ga can explain on-off switch more easily than the greenhouse gas model. Cosmic ray radiations, however, must be modified by the geomagnetic intensity, fluctuating 150"% to < 10"% of the present-day level through geologic time. Our compilation suggests the idea of extensive glaciation appeared when the intensity decreased below 50% of the present-day value, as typically seen in the Neoproterozoic time. This proposes the idea of extensive cloudiness by increased cosmic rays in the Neoproterozoic to cause the snowball Earth. Time difference between the Neoproterozoic snowball Earth and Cambrian explosion is as large as 250 millions years, and this refuses their direct close-relationship. Role of frequent mass extinctions, i.e., 8 times during 100 m.y. from 585 Ma to 488 Ma, during the Ediacaran and Cambrian, has been proposed (Zhu et al., 2007). This frequency is one order of magnitude higher compared to that in the post-Ordovician time. Yet, the Cambrian explosion cannot be explained by mass extinction which replaced the vacant niches shortly after the mass extinction and never created a new animal with a new body plan. A new model proposed herein is derived from weakened geomagnetism and resultant extensive cosmic radiation to alter gene and genome for a long period over advancement of low magnetic

Transcription factor Nrf2 hyperactivation in early-phase renal ischemia-reperfusion injury prevents tubular damage progression.

PubMed

Nezu, Masahiro; Souma, Tomokazu; Yu, Lei; Suzuki, Takafumi; Saigusa, Daisuke; Ito, Sadayoshi; Suzuki, Norio; Yamamoto, Masayuki

2017-02-01

Acute kidney injury is a devastating disease with high morbidity in hospitalized patients and contributes to the pathogenesis of chronic kidney disease. An underlying mechanism of acute kidney injury involves ischemia-reperfusion injury which, in turn, induces oxidative stress and provokes organ damage. Nrf2 is a master transcription factor that regulates the cellular response to oxidative stress. Here, we examined the role of Nrf2 in the progression of ischemia-reperfusion injury-induced kidney damage in mice using genetic and pharmacological approaches. Both global and tubular-specific Nrf2 activation enhanced gene expression of antioxidant and NADPH synthesis enzymes, including glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, and ameliorated both the initiation of injury in the outer medulla and the progression of tubular damage in the cortex. Myeloid-specific Nrf2 activation was ineffective. Short-term administration of the Nrf2 inducer CDDO during the initial phase of injury ameliorated the late phase of tubular damage. This inducer effectively protected the human proximal tubular cell line HK-2 from oxidative stress-mediated cell death while glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase knockdown increased intracellular reactive oxygen species. These findings demonstrate that tubular hyperactivation of Nrf2 in the initial phase of injury prevents the progression of reactive oxygen species-mediated tubular damage by inducing antioxidant enzymes and NADPH synthesis. Thus, Nrf2 may be a promising therapeutic target for preventing acute kidney injury to chronic kidney disease transition. Copyright © 2016 International Society of Nephrology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Oxygen, ecology, and the Cambrian radiation of animals

PubMed Central

Sperling, Erik A.; Frieder, Christina A.; Raman, Akkur V.; Girguis, Peter R.; Levin, Lisa A.; Knoll, Andrew H.

2013-01-01

The Proterozoic-Cambrian transition records the appearance of essentially all animal body plans (phyla), yet to date no single hypothesis adequately explains both the timing of the event and the evident increase in diversity and disparity. Ecological triggers focused on escalatory predator–prey “arms races” can explain the evolutionary pattern but not its timing, whereas environmental triggers, particularly ocean/atmosphere oxygenation, do the reverse. Using modern oxygen minimum zones as an analog for Proterozoic oceans, we explore the effect of low oxygen levels on the feeding ecology of polychaetes, the dominant macrofaunal animals in deep-sea sediments. Here we show that low oxygen is clearly linked to low proportions of carnivores in a community and low diversity of carnivorous taxa, whereas higher oxygen levels support more complex food webs. The recognition of a physiological control on carnivory therefore links environmental triggers and ecological drivers, providing an integrated explanation for both the pattern and timing of Cambrian animal radiation. PMID:23898193

Oxygen, ecology, and the Cambrian radiation of animals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sperling, Erik A.; Frieder, Christina A.; Raman, Akkur V.; Girguis, Peter R.; Levin, Lisa A.; Knoll, Andrew H.

2013-08-01

The Proterozoic-Cambrian transition records the appearance of essentially all animal body plans (phyla), yet to date no single hypothesis adequately explains both the timing of the event and the evident increase in diversity and disparity. Ecological triggers focused on escalatory predator-prey "arms races" can explain the evolutionary pattern but not its timing, whereas environmental triggers, particularly ocean/atmosphere oxygenation, do the reverse. Using modern oxygen minimum zones as an analog for Proterozoic oceans, we explore the effect of low oxygen levels on the feeding ecology of polychaetes, the dominant macrofaunal animals in deep-sea sediments. Here we show that low oxygen is clearly linked to low proportions of carnivores in a community and low diversity of carnivorous taxa, whereas higher oxygen levels support more complex food webs. The recognition of a physiological control on carnivory therefore links environmental triggers and ecological drivers, providing an integrated explanation for both the pattern and timing of Cambrian animal radiation.

Cambrian ophiolite complexes in the Beishan area, China, southern margin of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shi, Yuruo; Zhang, Wei; Kröner, Alfred; Li, Linlin; Jian, Ping

2018-03-01

We present zircon ages and geochemical data for Cambrian ophiolite complexes exposed in the Beishan area at the southern margin of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB). The complexes consist of the Xichangjing-Xiaohuangshan and Hongliuhe-Yushishan ophiolites, which both exhibit complete ophiolite stratigraphy: chert, basalt, sheeted dikes, gabbro, mafic and ultramafic cumulates and serpentinized mantle peridotites. Zircon grains of gabbro samples yielded 206Pb/238U ages of 516 ± 8, 521 ± 4, 528 ± 3 and 535 ± 6 Ma that reflect the timing of gabbro emplacement. The geochemical data of the basaltic rocks show enrichment in large-ion lithophile elements and depletion in the high field strength elements relative to normal mid-oceanic ridge basalt (NMORB) in response to aqueous fluids or melts expelled from the subducting slab. The gabbro samples have higher whole-rock initial 87Sr/86Sr ratios and lower positive εNd(t) values than NMORB. These geochemical signatures resulted from processes or conditions that are unique to subduction zones, and the ophiolites are therefore likely to have formed within a supra-subduction zone (SSZ) environment. We suggest that the Cambrian ophiolite complexes in the Beishan area formed within a SSZ setting, reflecting an early Paleozoic subduction of components of the Paleo-Central Asian Ocean and recording an early Paleozoic southward subduction event in the southern CAOB along the northern margin of the Tarim and North China Cratons.

Cambrian-lower Middle Ordovician passive carbonate margin, southern Appalachians: Chapter 14

USGS Publications Warehouse

Read, J. Fred; Repetski, John E.

2012-01-01

The southern Appalachian part of the Cambrian–Ordovician passive margin succession of the great American carbonate bank extends from the Lower Cambrian to the lower Middle Ordovician, is as much as 3.5 km (2.2 mi) thick, and has long-term subsidence rates exceeding 5 cm (2 in.)/k.y. Subsiding depocenters separated by arches controlled sediment thickness. The succession consists of five supersequences, each of which contains several third-order sequences, and numerous meter-scale parasequences. Siliciclastic-prone supersequence 1 (Lower Cambrian Chilhowee Group fluvial rift clastics grading up into shelf siliciclastics) underlies the passive margin carbonates. Supersequence 2 consists of the Lower Cambrian Shady Dolomite–Rome-Waynesboro Formations. This is a shallowing-upward ramp succession of thinly bedded to nodular lime mudstones up into carbonate mud-mound facies, overlain by lowstand quartzose carbonates, and then a rimmed shelf succession capped by highly cyclic regressive carbonates and red beds (Rome-Waynesboro Formations). Foreslope facies include megabreccias, grainstone, and thin-bedded carbonate turbidites and deep-water rhythmites. Supersequence 3 rests on a major unconformity and consists of a Middle Cambrian differentiated rimmed shelf carbonate with highly cyclic facies (Elbrook Formation) extending in from the rim and passing via an oolitic ramp into a large structurally controlled intrashelf basin (Conasauga Shale). Filling of the intrashelf basin caused widespread deposition of thin quartz sandstones at the base of supersequence 4, overlain by widespread cyclic carbonates (Upper Cambrian lower Knox Group Copper Ridge Dolomite in the south; Conococheague Formation in the north). Supersequence 5 (Lower Ordovician upper Knox in the south; Lower to Middle Ordovician Beekmantown Group in the north) has a basal quartz sandstone-prone unit, overlain by cyclic ramp carbonates, that grade downdip into thrombolite grainstone and then storm

Evolution of oceanic molybdenum and uranium reservoir size around the Ediacaran-Cambrian transition: Evidence from western Zhejiang, South China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiang, Lei; Schoepfer, Shane D.; Shen, Shu-zhong; Cao, Chang-qun; Zhang, Hua

2017-04-01

The "Cambrian explosion" is one of the most fascinating episodes of diversification in the history of life; however, its relationship to the oxygenation of the oceans and atmosphere around the Ediacaran-Cambrian transition is not fully understood. Marine inventories of redox-sensitive trace elements reflect the relative balance of oxidative weathering on land and deposition in anoxic water masses, and can be used to explore the evolution of oceanic and atmospheric redox conditions. For this study, we conducted a series of geochemical analyses on the upper Lantian, Piyuancun, and Hetang formations in the Chunye-1 well, part of the lower Yangtze Block in western Zhejiang. Iron speciation results indicate that the entire studied interval was deposited under anoxic conditions, with three intervals of persistent euxinia occurring in the uppermost Lantian Fm., the lower Hetang Formation (Fm.), and the upper Hetang Fm. Molybdenum (Mo) and uranium (U) contents and Mo/TOC and U/TOC ratios from the anoxic/euxinic intervals of the Chunye-1 well, combined with published data from the sections in the middle and upper Yangtze Block, suggest that the oceanic Mo reservoir declined consistently from the Ediacaran to Cambrian Stage 3, while the size of the oceanic U reservoir remained relatively constant. Both metals were depleted in the ocean in lower Cambrian Stage 4, before increasing markedly at the end of Stage 4. The lack of an apparent increase in the size of the marine Mo and U reservoir from the upper Ediacaran to Cambrian Stage 3 suggests that oxic water masses did not expand until Cambrian Stage 4. The increase in marine Mo and U availability in the upper Hetang Fm. may have been due to the expansion of oxic water masses in the oceans, associated with oxygenation of the atmosphere during Cambrian Stage 4. This expansion of oxic waters in the global ocean postdates the main phase of Cambrian diversification, suggesting that pervasive oxygenation of the ocean on a large

Expandable tubulars for use in geologic structures

DOEpatents

Spray, Jeffery A.; Svedeman, Steven; Walter, David; Mckeighan, Peter; Siebanaler, Shane; Dewhurst, Peter; Hobson, Steven; Foss, Doug; Wirz, Holger; Sharpe, Aaron; Apostal, Michael

2014-08-12

An expandable tubular includes a plurality of leaves formed from sheet material that have curved surfaces. The leaves extend around a portion or fully around the diameter of the tubular structure. Some of the adjacent leaves of the tubular are coupled together. The tubular is compressed to a smaller diameter so that it can be inserted through previously deployed tubular assemblies. Once the tubular is properly positioned, it is deployed and coupled or not coupled to a previously deployed tubular assembly. The tubular is useful for all types of wells and boreholes.

The Cambrian Ross Orogeny in northern Victoria Land (Antarctica) and New Zealand: A synthesis

USGS Publications Warehouse

Federico, L.; Capponi, G.; Crispini, L.; Bradshaw, J.D.

2007-01-01

In the Cambrian, the paleo-Pacific margin of the Gondwana supercontinent included East Antarctica, Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand and was affected by themajor Ross-Delamerian Orogeny. In Antarctica, evidence suggests that this resulted from oblique subduction and that in northern Victoria Land it was accompanied by the opening and subsequent closure of a back-arc basin. Comparison of the type and timing of sedimentary, magmatic and metamorphic events in areas noted above shows strong similarities between northern Victoria Land and New Zealand. In both regions Middle Cambrian volcanites are interpreted as arc/back-arc assemblages produced by west-directed subduction; sediments interbedded with the volcanites show provenance both from the arc and from the Gondwana margin and therefore place the basin close to the continent. Back-arc closure in the Late Cambrian was likely accomplished through a second subduction system

Cambrian Evolutionary Radiation: Context, correlation, and chronostratigraphy—Overcoming deficiencies of the first appearance datum (FAD) concept

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Landing, Ed; Geyer, Gerd; Brasier, Martin D.; Bowring, Samuel A.

2013-08-01

Use of the first appearance datum (FAD) of a fossil to define a global chronostratigraphic unit's base can lead to intractable correlation and stability problems. FADs are diachronous—they reflect species' evolutionary history, dispersal, biofacies, preservation, collection, and taxonomy. The Cambrian Evolutionary Radiation is characterised by diachronous FADs, biofacies controls, and provincialism of taxa and ecological communities that confound a stable Lower Cambrian chronostratigraphy. Cambrian series and stage definitions require greater attention to assemblage zone successions and non-biostratigraphic, particularly carbon isotope, correlation techniques such as those that define the Ediacaran System base. A redefined, basal Cambrian Trichophycus pedum Assemblage Zone lies above the highest Ediacaran-type biotas (vendobionts, putative metazoans, and calcareous problematica such as Cloudina) and the basal Asteridium tornatum-Comasphaeridium velvetum Zone (acritarchs). This definition and the likely close correspondence of evolutionary origin and local FAD of T. pedum preserves the Fortune Head, Newfoundland, GSSP of the Cambrian base and allows the presence of sub-Cambrian, branched ichnofossils. The sub-Tommotian-equivalent base of Stage 2 (a suggested "Laolinian Stage") should be defined by the I'/L4/ZHUCE δ13C positive peak, bracketed by the lower ranges of Watsonella crosbyi and Aldanella attleborensis (molluscs) and the Skiagia ornata-Fimbrioglomerella membranacea Zone (acritarchs). The W. crosbyi and A. attleborensis FADs cannot define a Stage 2 base as they are diachronous even in the Newfoundland "type" W. crosbyi Zone. The Series 2 base cannot be based on a species' FAD owing to the provincialism of skeletalised metazoans in the Terreneuvian-Series 2 boundary interval and global heterochrony of the oldest trilobites. A Series 2 and Stage 3 (a suggested "Lenaldanian Series" and "Zhurinskyan Stage," new) GSSP base is proposed at the Siberian lower

Small bilaterian fossils from 40 to 55 million years before the cambrian.

PubMed

Chen, Jun-Yuan; Bottjer, David J; Oliveri, Paola; Dornbos, Stephen Q; Gao, Feng; Ruffins, Seth; Chi, Huimei; Li, Chia-Wei; Davidson, Eric H

2004-07-09

Ten phosphatized specimens of a small (<180 micrometers) animal displaying clear bilaterian features have been recovered from the Doushantuo Formation, China, dating from 40 to 55 million years before the Cambrian. Seen in sections, this animal (Vernanimalcula guizhouena gen. et sp. nov.) had paired coeloms extending the length of the gut; paired external pits that could be sense organs; bilateral, anterior-posterior organization; a ventrally directed anterior mouth with thick walled pharynx; and a triploblastic structure. The structural complexity is that of an adult rather than a larval form. These fossils provide the first evidence confirming the phylogenetic inference that Bilateria arose well before the Cambrian.

Review: peripheral nerve regeneration using non-tubular alginate gel crosslinked with covalent bonds.

PubMed

Hashimoto, Tadashi; Suzuki, Yoshihisa; Suzuki, Kyoko; Nakashima, Toshihide; Tanihara, Masao; Ide, Chizuka

2005-06-01

We have developed a nerve regeneration material consisting of alginate gel crosslinked with covalent bonds. in the first part of this study, we attempted to analyze nerve regeneration through alginate gel in the early stages within 2 weeks. in the second part, we tried to regenerate cat peripheral nerve by using alginate tubular or non-tubular nerve regeneration devices, and compared their efficacies. Four days after surgery, regenerating axons grew without Schwann cell investment through the partially degraded alginate gel, being in direct contact with the alginate without a basal lamina covering. One to 2 weeks after surgery, regenerating axons were surrounded by common Schwann cells, forming small bundles, with some axons at the periphery being partly in direct contact with alginate. At the distal stump, numerous Schwann cells had migrated into the alginate 8-14 days after surgery. Remarkable restorations of the 50-mm gap in cat sciatic nerve were obtained after a long term by using tubular or non-tubular nerve regeneration material consisting mainly of alginate gel. However, there was no significant difference between both groups at electrophysiological and morphological evaluation. Although, nowadays, nerve regeneration materials being marketed mostly have a tubular structure, our results suggest that the tubular structure is not indispensable for peripheral nerve regeneration.

Hyperactivation of Nrf2 in early tubular development induces nephrogenic diabetes insipidus

PubMed Central

Suzuki, Takafumi; Seki, Shiori; Hiramoto, Keiichiro; Naganuma, Eriko; Kobayashi, Eri H.; Yamaoka, Ayaka; Baird, Liam; Takahashi, Nobuyuki; Sato, Hiroshi; Yamamoto, Masayuki

2017-01-01

NF-E2-related factor-2 (Nrf2) regulates cellular responses to oxidative and electrophilic stress. Loss of Keap1 increases Nrf2 protein levels, and Keap1-null mice die of oesophageal hyperkeratosis because of Nrf2 hyperactivation. Here we show that deletion of oesophageal Nrf2 in Keap1-null mice allows survival until adulthood, but the animals develop polyuria with low osmolality and bilateral hydronephrosis. This phenotype is caused by defects in water reabsorption that are the result of reduced aquaporin 2 levels in the kidney. Renal tubular deletion of Keap1 promotes nephrogenic diabetes insipidus features, confirming that Nrf2 activation in developing tubular cells causes a water reabsorption defect. These findings suggest that Nrf2 activity should be tightly controlled during development in order to maintain renal homeostasis. In addition, tissue-specific ablation of Nrf2 in Keap1-null mice might create useful animal models to uncover novel physiological functions of Nrf2. PMID:28233855

78 FR 14361 - U.S. Steel Tubular Products, Inc., Mckeesport Tubular Operations Division, Subsidiary of United...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-03-05

... Products, Inc., Mckeesport Tubular Operations Division, Subsidiary of United States Steel Corporation, Mckeesport, PA; Notice of Initiation of Investigation To Terminate Certification of Eligibility Pursuant to... Tubular Products, McKeesport Tubular Operations Division, Subsidiary of United States Steel Corporation...

78 FR 37584 - U.S. Steel Tubular Products, Inc., Mckeesport Tubular Operations Division, Subsidiary of United...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-06-21

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Review of the Cambrian volcanic activity in Morocco: geochemical fingerprints and geotectonic implications for the rifting of West Gondwana

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pouclet, André; El Hadi, Hassan; Álvaro, J. Javier; Bardintzeff, Jacques-Marie; Benharref, Mohammed; Fekkak, Abdelilah

2018-03-01

Volcanic activities related to the opening of a Cambrian rift in Morocco were widespread from the Fortunian to the Cambrian Epoch 3. Numerous data are available from northwestern volcanic sites, particularly in the western High Atlas, but they are scarce from the southeastern sites. New data are documented here from the volcanic formations exposed in the Jbel Tazoult n'Ouzina of the Tafilalt Province, eastern Anti-Atlas and dated to Cambrian Epoch 2-3. The Cambrian volcanic activities recorded in the High Atlas, Anti-Atlas, and Coastal Meseta are synthesized to refine their stratigraphic setting and to characterize their magmatic affinities and fingerprints. Six volcanic pulses are determined as tholeiitic, transitional, and alkaline suites. The tholeiitic and transitional magmas originated from primitive mantle and E-MORB-type sources with a spinel- and garnet-bearing lherzolite composition. Some of them were modified by assimilation-fractional crystallisation processes during crust-mantle interactions. The alkaline magmas fit with an OIB-type and a garnet-bearing lherzolite source. The palaeogeographic distribution of the magmatic suites was controlled by the lithospheric thinning of the Cambrian Atlas Rift and lithospheric constraints of the Pan-African metacraton and West African craton.

New zircon ages on the Cambrian-Ordovician volcanism of the Southern Gemericum basement (Western Carpathians, Slovakia): SHRIMP dating, geochemistry and provenance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vozárová, Anna; Rodionov, Nickolay; Šarinová, Katarína; Presnyakov, Sergey

2017-09-01

The Southern Gemericum basement in the Inner Western Carpathians, composed of low-grade volcano-sedimentary rock complexes, constitutes a record of the polyphase Cambrian-Ordovician continental volcanic arc volcanism. These metavolcanic rocks are characterized by the enrichment in K, Rb, Ba, Th and Ce and Sm relative to Ta, Nb, Hf, Zr, Y and Yb that are the characteristic features for volcanic arc magmatites. The new SHRIMP U-Pb zircon data and compilation of previously published and re-evaluated zircon ages, contribute to a new constrain of the timing of the Cambrian-Ordovician volcanism that occurred between 496 and 447 Ma. The following peaks of the volcanic activity of the Southern Gemericum basement have been recognized: (a) mid-late Furongian at 492 Ma; (b) Tremadocian at 481 Ma; (c) Darriwilian at 464 Ma prolonged to 453 Ma within the early Upper Ordovician. The metavolcanic rocks are characterized by a high zircon inheritance, composed of Ediacaran (650-550 Ma), Tonian-Stenian (1.1-0.9 Ma), and, to a lesser extent, Mesoproterozoic (1.3 Ga), Paleoproterozoic (1.9 Ga) and Archaean assemblages (2.6 Ga). Based on the acquired zircon populations, it could be deduced that Cambrian-Ordovician arc crust was generated by a partial melting of Ediacaran basement in the subduction-related setting, into which old crustal fragments were incorporated. The ascertained zircon inheritances with Meso-, Paleoproterozoic and Archaean cores indicate the similarities with the Saharan Metacraton provenance.

Cambrian Series 3 carbonate platform of Korea dominated by microbial-sponge reefs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hong, Jongsun; Lee, Jeong-Hyun; Choh, Suk-Joo; Lee, Dong-Jin

2016-07-01

Metazoans have been considered as negligible components of Cambrian Series 3 and Furongian microbial-dominated reefs, in contrast to their presence in earlier Terreneuvian-Cambrian Series 2 microbial-archaeocyath reefs. However, recent discoveries of sponges in Cambrian Series 3-Furongian reefs of Australia, China, Iran, USA, and Korea have raised question regarding their contribution in terms of carbonate platform development, which have never been assessed. This study examines Cambrian Series 3 deposits of the Daegi Formation, Korea to elucidate this question. The 100-m-thick middle part of the Daegi Formation is dominated by boundstone facies, which occupies 45% of the study interval, as well as bioclastic wackestone to packstone, bioclastic grainstone, and ooid packstone to grainstone facies. The Daegi reefs are primarily thrombolitic in composition, with 90% (n = 26/29) of the reefs containing an average of 9% sponges in aerial percentage calculated from thin sections. Lithistid sponges composed of peloidal fabrics, some desma spicules, and spicule networks commonly occupy the interstitial space in microbial clusters, are encrusted by mesoclots and Epiphyton, and are surrounded by micrite. Subordinate non-lithistid demosponges occur within clusters of microbial elements. The middle Daegi Formation can be largely subdivided into shoal environment dominated by grainstone to packstone facies and shallow subtidal platform interior environment located behind shoal with wackestone to packstone facies. The microbial-sponge reefs mainly developed around platform interior as patch reefs. The current study indicates that metazoans in the form of lithistid and non-lithistid demosponges are nearly ubiquitously incorporated in Daegi reefs and contributed greatly to the formation of microbial-sponge reefs as well as carbonate platform during the time. Study of these microbial-sponge reefs and their distribution within the carbonate platform may help us to understand how

Renal Impairment with Sublethal Tubular Cell Injury in a Chronic Liver Disease Mouse Model

PubMed Central

Ishida, Tokiko; Kotani, Hirokazu; Miyao, Masashi; Kawai, Chihiro; Jemail, Leila; Abiru, Hitoshi; Tamaki, Keiji

2016-01-01

The pathogenesis of renal impairment in chronic liver diseases (CLDs) has been primarily studied in the advanced stages of hepatic injury. Meanwhile, the pathology of renal impairment in the early phase of CLDs is poorly understood, and animal models to elucidate its mechanisms are needed. Thus, we investigated whether an existing mouse model of CLD induced by 3,5-diethoxycarbonyl-1,4-dihydrocollidine (DDC) shows renal impairment in the early phase. Renal injury markers, renal histology (including immunohistochemistry for tubular injury markers and transmission electron microscopy), autophagy, and oxidative stress were studied longitudinally in DDC- and standard diet–fed BALB/c mice. Slight but significant renal dysfunction was evident in DDC-fed mice from the early phase. Meanwhile, histological examinations of the kidneys with routine light microscopy did not show definitive morphological findings, and electron microscopic analyses were required to detect limited injuries such as loss of brush border microvilli and mitochondrial deformities. Limited injuries have been recently designated as sublethal tubular cell injury. As humans with renal impairment, either with or without CLD, often show almost normal tubules, sublethal injury has been of particular interest. In this study, the injuries were associated with mitochondrial aberrations and oxidative stress, a possible mechanism for sublethal injury. Intriguingly, two defense mechanisms were associated with this injury that prevent it from progressing to apparent cell death: autophagy and single-cell extrusion with regeneration. Furthermore, the renal impairment of this model progressed to chronic kidney disease with interstitial fibrosis after long-term DDC feeding. These findings indicated that DDC induces renal impairment with sublethal tubular cell injury from the early phase, leading to chronic kidney disease. Importantly, this CLD mouse model could be useful for studying the pathophysiological mechanisms

Multiple High-Frequency Carbon Isotope Excursions Across the Precambrian-Cambrian Boundary: Implications for Correlations and Environmental Change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, E. F.; Macdonald, F. A.; Schrag, D. P.; Laakso, T.

2014-12-01

The GSSP Precambrian-Cambrian boundary in Newfoundland is defined by the first appearance datum (FAD) of Treptichnus pedum, which is considered to be roughly coincident with the FAD of small shelly fossils (SSFs) and a large negative carbon isotope excursion. An association between the FAD of T. pedum and a negative carbon isotope excursion has previously been documented in Northwest Canada (Narbonne et al., 1994) and Death Valley (Corsetti and Hagadorn, 2000), and since then has been used as an chronostratigraphic marker of the boundary, particularly in siliciclastic poor sections that do not preserve T. pedum. Here we present new high-resolution carbon isotope (δ13C ) chemostratigraphy from multiple sections in western Mongolia and the western United States that span the Ediacaran-Cambrian transition. High-resolution sampling (0.2-1 m) reveals that instead of one large negative excursion, there are multiple, high-frequency negative excursions with an overall negative trend during the latest Ediacaran. These data help to more precisely calibrate changes in the carbon cycle across the boundary as well as to highlight the potential problem of identifying the boundary with just a few negative δ13C values. We then use a simple carbon isotope box model to explore relationships between phosphorous delivery to the ocean, oxygenation, alkalinity, and turnovers in carbonate secreting organisms. Corsetti, F.A., and Hagadorn, J.W., 2000, Precambrian-Cambrian transition: Death Valley, United States: Geology, v. 28, no. 4, p. 299-302. Narbonne, G.M., Kaufman, A.J., and Knoll, A.H., 1994, Integrated chemostratigraphy and biostratigraphy of the Windermere Supergroup, northwestern Canada: Implications for Neoproterozoic correlations and the early evolution of animals: Geological Society of America Bulletin, v. 106, no. 10, p. 1281-1292.

Paleomagnetism of a well-dated marine succession in South China: A possible Late Cambrian true polar wander (TPW)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiao, Wen-Jun; Li, Yong-Xiang; Yang, Zhen-Yu

2018-04-01

The Cambrian true polar wander (TPW) hypothesis remains controversial largely because of the uncertainties in the quality and/or fidelity of the paleomagnetic data as well as their chronological control. Testing the TPW hypothesis requires high-quality paleomagnetic data of sufficient spatial and temporal resolutions. Here, we present paleomagnetic results of a continuous Cambrian shallow marine succession from South China where available detailed biostratigraphy provides exceptional chronological constraints. Forty-three sites of paleomagnetic samples were collected from this limestone-dominated succession. Stepwise thermal demagnetization generally reveals three-component magnetizations. Low- and intermediate-temperature components can be cleaned by ∼330 °C, and the high-temperature component (HTC) was isolated typically from ∼350 to ∼450 °C. A positive fold test and the presence of reversed polarity in the strata, together with rock magnetic data as well as the scanning electron microscopic (SEM) and transmission electron microscopic (TEM) results, collectively suggest that the HTCs are likely primary. A directional shift of the HTCs occurs between the lower-middle Cambrian and the upper Cambrian strata in the succession and is tentatively interpreted to indicate a ∼57° polar wander from ∼500.5 to 494 Ma. Because the rate of polar wander is too fast to be a tectonic origin, this polar wander is interpreted to represent a Late Cambrian TPW. This TPW appears coeval with the Steptoean positive carbon isotope excursion (SPICE) and the major trilobite mass extinctions, suggesting a potential link between the TPW and the Late Cambrian biotic and climatic changes. Because the proposed TPW event is exceptionally well-dated, it should be testable through examination of other worldwide sections.

Palaeomagnetism and geochemistry of Early Palaeozoic rocks of the Barrandian (Teplé-Barrandian Unit, Bohemian Massif): palaeotectonic implications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Patočka, F.; Pruner, P.; Štorch, P.

The Barrandian area (the Teplá-Barrandian unit, Bohemian Massif) provided palaeomagnetic results on Early Palaeozoic rocks and chemical data on siliciclastic sediments of both Middle Cambrian and Early Ordovician to Middle Devonian sedimentary sequences; an outcoming interpretation defined source areas of clastic material and palaeotectonic settings of the siliciclastic rock deposition. The siliciclastic rocks of the earliest Palaeozoic sedimentation cycle, deposited in the Cambrian Příbram-Jince Basin of the Barrandian, were derived from an early Cadomian volcanic island arc developed on Neoproterozoic oceanic lithosphere and accreted to a Cadomian active margin of northwestern Gondwana. Inversion of relief terminated the Cambrian sedimentation, and a successory Prague Basin subsided nearby since Tremadocian. Source area of the Ordovician and Early Silurian shallow-marine siliciclastic sediments corresponded to progressively dissected crust of continental arc/active continental margin type of Cadomian age. Since Late Ordovician onwards both synsedimentary within-plate basic volcanics and older sediments had been contributing in recognizable proportions to the siliciclastic rocks. The siliciclastic sedimentation was replaced by deposition of carbonate rocks throughout late Early Silurian to Early Devonian period of withdrawal of the Cadomian clastic material source. Above the carbonates an early Givetian flysch-like siliciclastic suite completed sedimentation in the Barrandian. In times between Middle Cambrian and Early/Middle Devonian boundary interval an extensional tectonic setting prevailed in the Teplá-Barrandian unit. The extensional regime was related to Early Palaeozoic large-scale fragmentation of the Cadomian belt of northwestern Gondwana and origin of Armorican microcontinent assemblage. The Teplá-Barrandian unit was also engaged in a peri-equatorially oriented drift of Armorican microcontinent assemblage throughout the Early Palaeozoic: respective

A new U-Pb LA-ICP-MS age of the Rumburk granite (Lausitz Block, Saxo-Thuringian Zone): constraints for a magmatic event in the Upper Cambrian

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zieger, J.; Linnemann, U.; Hofmann, M.; Gärtner, A.; Marko, L.; Gerdes, A.

2018-04-01

The basement of the Saxo-Thuringian Zone consists of Upper Neoproterozoic (c. 650-570 Ma) Cadomian arc sediments (Lusatian greywackes) and voluminous intrusions of Early Cambrian granitoids with ages of c. 540 Ma (Lausitz Block and Karkonosze-Izera Massif). The latter basement complexes comprise several c. 505 Ma granites, granodiorites, and gneisses emplaced during the change from a collisional tectonic setting to rift-related geotectonics. We present a new age for the Rumburk granite of 504 ± 3 Ma linking Late Cambrian plutonism at the northern margin of Gondwana with the initial phase of a Cambro-Ordovician rift event. Trace element analysis points to a linkage of the Rumburk granite with other Late Cambrian aged rocks of the Karkonosze-Izera Massif. Furthermore, geochemical data also provide evidence of a melting and recycling of Lusatian greywackes by the intrusion of the Rumburk granite. The youngest age peak of the Rumburk granite at c. 504 Ma is considered to be the age of emplacement. Older inherited age populations at c. 540 and c. 610 Ma are present and likely the result of a melting and recycling of Lusatian granitoids and greywackes. The appearance of Neoproterozoic inheritance and Lu-Hf similarities with the Rumburk granite strongly suggest the Lusatian greywackes as source rocks. There is a significant age gap of c. 35 Ma between Cambrian plutonic and volcanic rocks in Saxo-Thuringia. Hence, we consider two distinct pulses of magmatic activity during the transition from the Cadomian orogeny to the opening of the Rheic Ocean.

Facies analysis of Late Proterozoic through Lower Cambrian rocks of the Death Valley regional ground-water system and surrounding areas, Nevada and California

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

Sweetkind, D.S.; White, D.K.

Late Proterozoic through Lower Cambrian rocks in the southern Great Basin form a westward-thickening wedge of predominantly clastic deposits that record deposition on the early western shelf edge of western North America (Stewart and Poole, 1974; Poole and others, 1992). Regional analyses of geologic controls on ground-water flow in the southern Great Basin typically combined lithostratigraphic units into more general hydrogeologic units that have considerable lateral extent and distinct hydrologic properties. The Late Proterozoic through Lower Cambrian rocks have been treated as a single hydrogeologic unit, named the lower clastic aquitard (Winograd and Thordarson, 1975) or the quartzite confining unitmore » (Laczniak and others, 1996), that serves as the hydrologic basement to the flow system. Although accurate in a general sense, this classification ignores well-established facies relations within these rocks that might increase bedrock permeability and locally influence ground-water flow . This report presents a facies analysis of Late Proterozoic through Lower Cambrian rocks (hereafter called the study interval) in the Death Valley regional ground-water flow system - that portion of the southern Great Basin that includes Death Valley, the Nevada Test Site, and the potential high-level nuclear waste underground repository at Yucca Mountain (fig. 1). The region discussed in this report, hereafter called the study area, covers approximately 100,000 km2 (lat 35 degrees-38 degrees 15'N., long 115 degrees-118 degrees W.). The purpose of this analysis is to provide a general documentation of facies transitions within the Late Proterozoic through Lower Cambrian rocks in order to provide an estimate of material properties (via rock type, grain size, and bedding characteristics) for specific hydrogeologic units to be included in a regional ground-water flow model.« less

Development, triploblastism, physics of wetting and the Cambrian explosion.

PubMed

Fleury, Vincent

2013-09-01

The Cambrian explosion is characterized by the sudden outburst of organized animal plans, which occurred circa 530 M years ago. Around that time, many forms of animal life appeared, including several which have since disappeared. There is no general consensus about "why" this happened, and why it had any form of suddenness. However, all organized animal plans share a common feature: they are triploblastic, i.e., composed of 3 layers of tissue, endoderm, ectoderm and mesoderm. I show here that, within simple hypotheses, the formation of the mesoderm has intrinsically a physical exponential dynamics, leading rapidly to triploblastism, and eventually, to animal formation. A novel physico-mathematical framework including epithelium-mesenchyme transition, visco-elastic constitutive equations, and conservation laws, is presented which allows one to describe gastrulation as a self-wetting phenomenon of a soft solid onto itself. This phenomenon couples differentiation and migration during gastrulation, and leads in a closed form to an exponential scaling law for the formation of the mesoderm. Therefore, the Cambrian explosion might have started, actually, by a true viscoelastic "explosion": the exponential run-away of mesenchymal cells.

Tubular nanostructured materials for bioapplications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xie, Jining; Chen, Linfeng; Srivatsan, Malathi; Varadan, Vijay K.

2009-03-01

Tubular nanomaterials possess hollow structures as well as high aspect ratios. In addition to their unique physical and chemical properties induced by their nanoscale dimensions, their inner voids and outer surfaces make them ideal candidates for a number of biomedical applications. In this work, three types of tubular nanomaterials including carbon nanotubes, hematite nanotubes, and maghemite nanotubes, were synthesized by different chemical techniques. Their structural and crystalline properties were characterized. For potential bioapplications of tubular nanomaterials, experimental investigations were carried out to demonstrate the feasibility of using carbon nanotubes, hematite nanotubes, and maghemite nanotubes in glucose sensing, neuronal growth, and drug delivery, respectively. Preliminary results show the promise of tubular nanomaterials in future biomedical applications.

A molecular and isotopic study of palaeoenvironmental conditions through the middle Cambrian in the Georgina Basin, central Australia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pagès, Anais; Schmid, Susanne; Edwards, Dianne; Barnes, Stephen; He, Nannan; Grice, Kliti

2016-08-01

The Cambrian period marks an important point in Earth's history with profound changes in the ocean's biogeochemistry and the occurrence of the most significant evolutionary event in the history of life, the Cambrian explosion. The Cambrian explosion is described as a succession of complex cycles of extinctions and radiations. This study integrates biomarkers and their compound-specific stable carbon isotopes to investigate the palaeoenvironmental depositional conditions in middle Cambrian (Series 3) sedimentary rocks (Thorntonia Limestone, Inca Formation and Currant Bush Limestone) from two drillholes in the Undilla Sub-basin in the eastern Georgina Basin, central Australia. The occurrence of photic zone euxinia (PZE) was detected throughout these three formations by the identification of green sulfur bacteria Chlorobiaceae-derived biomarkers, including a series of 2,3,6-aryl isoprenoids and the intact biomarker isorenieratane. Pulses of enhanced PZE conditions were detected in two core intervals (90-110 mKB, Currant Bush Limestone and 170-200 mKB, Inca Formation) by an increase in the 2,3,6-aryl isoprenoids and C19 biphenyl concentrations. These enhanced PZE conditions were followed by blooms of phytoplankton, as demonstrated by the increase in algal-derived biomarker (i.e. pristane, phytane and the C19n-alkane) concentrations and compound-specific isotopes. These observations confirm that palaeoenvironmental conditions were similar to those reported for the Permian/Triassic and Triassic/Jurassic mass extinction events. The sterane distributions varied across the three formations reflecting possible changes in the phytoplanktonic communities through time. Although a rise in atmospheric oxygen during the Cambrian has been previously associated with the rapid evolution of metazoans, the ecological challenges related to widespread anoxia must have had a major influence on the evolution of life in Cambrian oceans.

Decoupling of body-plan diversification and ecological structuring during the Ediacaran-Cambrian transition: evolutionary and geobiological feedbacks.

PubMed

Mángano, M Gabriela; Buatois, Luis A

2014-04-07

The rapid appearance of bilaterian clades at the beginning of the Phanerozoic is one of the most intriguing topics in macroevolution. However, the complex feedbacks between diversification and ecological interactions are still poorly understood. Here, we show that a systematic and comprehensive analysis of the trace-fossil record of the Ediacaran-Cambrian transition indicates that body-plan diversification and ecological structuring were decoupled. The appearance of a wide repertoire of behavioural strategies and body plans occurred by the Fortunian. However, a major shift in benthic ecological structure, recording the establishment of a suspension-feeder infauna, increased complexity of the trophic web, and coupling of benthos and plankton took place during Cambrian Stage 2. Both phases were accompanied by different styles of ecosystem engineering, but only the second one resulted in the establishment of the Phanerozoic-style ecology. In turn, the suspension-feeding infauna may have been the ecological drivers of a further diversification of deposit-feeding strategies by Cambrian Stage 3, favouring an ecological spillover scenario. Trace-fossil information strongly supports the Cambrian explosion, but allows for a short time of phylogenetic fuse during the terminal Ediacaran-Fortunian.

Decoupling of body-plan diversification and ecological structuring during the Ediacaran–Cambrian transition: evolutionary and geobiological feedbacks

PubMed Central

Mángano, M. Gabriela; Buatois, Luis A.

2014-01-01

The rapid appearance of bilaterian clades at the beginning of the Phanerozoic is one of the most intriguing topics in macroevolution. However, the complex feedbacks between diversification and ecological interactions are still poorly understood. Here, we show that a systematic and comprehensive analysis of the trace-fossil record of the Ediacaran–Cambrian transition indicates that body-plan diversification and ecological structuring were decoupled. The appearance of a wide repertoire of behavioural strategies and body plans occurred by the Fortunian. However, a major shift in benthic ecological structure, recording the establishment of a suspension-feeder infauna, increased complexity of the trophic web, and coupling of benthos and plankton took place during Cambrian Stage 2. Both phases were accompanied by different styles of ecosystem engineering, but only the second one resulted in the establishment of the Phanerozoic-style ecology. In turn, the suspension-feeding infauna may have been the ecological drivers of a further diversification of deposit-feeding strategies by Cambrian Stage 3, favouring an ecological spillover scenario. Trace-fossil information strongly supports the Cambrian explosion, but allows for a short time of phylogenetic fuse during the terminal Ediacaran–Fortunian. PMID:24523279

Selenium and hazardous elements distribution in plant-soil-water system and human health risk assessment of Lower Cambrian, Southern Shaanxi, China.

PubMed

Du, Yajun; Luo, Kunli; Ni, Runxiang; Hussain, Rahib

2018-03-01

The natural selenium poisoning due to toxic Se levels in food chain had been observed in humans and animals in Lower Cambrian outcrop areas in Southern Shaanxi, China. To find out the distribution pattern of selenium and other hazardous elements in the plant, soil and water of Lower Cambrian in Southern Shaanxi, China, and their possible potential health risk, a total of 30 elements were analyzed and the health risk assessment of 18 elements was calculated. Results showed that the soil, plant and natural water of Lower Cambrian all had relatively high Se levels. In Lower Cambrian, the soil was enriched with Se, As, Ba, Cu, Mo, Ni, Zn, Ga, Cd and Cr (1.68 < I geo  < 4.48, I geo ; geo-accumulation index). In same plants, the contents of Se, Cd and Zn (except Cd in corn and rice, Zn in potato and corn) of Lower Cambrian were higher than that of the other strata. Ba and Ga in natural water were higher than that of the other strata, while K and Cs were opposite. The health risk assessment results showed that the people living in outcrop areas of Lower Cambrian had both high total non-carcinogenic risk of 18 elements (HI = 16.12, acceptable range: < 1) and carcinogenic risk of As (3.98E-04, acceptable range: 10 -6 -10 -4 ). High contents of Se, As, Mo and Tl of Lower Cambrian may pose a health risk to local people, and food intake was the major pathway. For minimizing potential health risk, the local inhabitants should use the mix-imported food with local growing foods.

Tubular inverse opal scaffolds for biomimetic vessels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Ze; Wang, Jie; Lu, Jie; Yu, Yunru; Fu, Fanfan; Wang, Huan; Liu, Yuxiao; Zhao, Yuanjin; Gu, Zhongze

2016-07-01

There is a clinical need for tissue-engineered blood vessels that can be used to replace or bypass damaged arteries. The success of such grafts depends strongly on their ability to mimic native arteries; however, currently available artificial vessels are restricted by their complex processing, controversial integrity, or uncontrollable cell location and orientation. Here, we present new tubular scaffolds with specific surface microstructures for structural vessel mimicry. The tubular scaffolds are fabricated by rotationally expanding three-dimensional tubular inverse opals that are replicated from colloidal crystal templates in capillaries. Because of the ordered porous structure of the inverse opals, the expanded tubular scaffolds are imparted with circumferentially oriented elliptical pattern microstructures on their surfaces. It is demonstrated that these tailored tubular scaffolds can effectively make endothelial cells to form an integrated hollow tubular structure on their inner surface and induce smooth muscle cells to form a circumferential orientation on their outer surface. These features of our tubular scaffolds make them highly promising for the construction of biomimetic blood vessels.There is a clinical need for tissue-engineered blood vessels that can be used to replace or bypass damaged arteries. The success of such grafts depends strongly on their ability to mimic native arteries; however, currently available artificial vessels are restricted by their complex processing, controversial integrity, or uncontrollable cell location and orientation. Here, we present new tubular scaffolds with specific surface microstructures for structural vessel mimicry. The tubular scaffolds are fabricated by rotationally expanding three-dimensional tubular inverse opals that are replicated from colloidal crystal templates in capillaries. Because of the ordered porous structure of the inverse opals, the expanded tubular scaffolds are imparted with circumferentially

Morphology and ultrastructure of epilithic versus cryptic, microbial growth in lower Cambrian phosphorites from the Montagne Noire, France.

PubMed

Alvaro, J J; Clausen, S

2010-03-01

The lower Cambrian grainy phosphorites of the northern Montagne Noire occur interbedded with grey to black, laminated to massive shales and limestones deposited along the edge of a continental shelf, associated with slope-related facies and unstable substrates. The concentration of phosphate took place by repeated alternations of low sedimentation rates and condensation (hardgrounds), in situ early-diagenetic precipitation of fluorapatite, winnowing and polyphase reworking of previously phosphatized skeletons and hardground-derived clasts. The succession of repeated cycles of sedimentation, phosphate concentration, and reworking led to multi-event phosphate deposits rich in allochthonous particles. Phosphogenesis was primarily mediated by microbial activity, which is evidenced by the abundance of phosphatized putative microbial remains. These occur as smooth and segmented filaments, sheaths, and ovoid-shaped coccoids. These simple morphologies commonly form composite frameworks as a result of their aggregation and entanglement, leading to the record of biofilms, microbial mats, and complex networks. These infested the calcitic skeletonized microfossils that littered the substrate. Microbial activity evidences epilithic (anisotropic coatings on skeletons), euendolithic (perforating skeletal walls), and cryptoendolithic (lining inter- and intraparticulate pores) strategies, the latter dominated by bundles of filaments and globular clusters that grew along the cavities of helcionellids and hyoliths. According to their epilithic versus cryptic strategies, microbial populations that penetrated and dwelled inside hard skeletal substrates show different network and colonial morphologies. These early Cambrian shell concentrations were the loci of a stepwise colonization made by saprophytic to mutualistic, cyanobacterial-fungal consortia. Their euendolithic and cryptoendolithic ecological niches provided microbial refugia to manage the grazing impact mainly led by metazoans.

Tubular Recovery after Acute Kidney Injury.

PubMed

Fattah, Hadi; Vallon, Volker

2018-05-31

A significant portion of patients who are affected by acute kidney injury (AKI) do not fully recover due to largely unclear reasons. Restoration of tubular function has been proposed to be a prerequisite for glomerular filtration rate (GFR) recovery. Proximal tubular cells dedifferentiate during the tubular injury phase, which is required for subsequent cell proliferation and replacement of lost epithelial cells. Experimental studies indicate that some cells fail to redifferentiate and continue to produce growth factors (e.g., transforming growth factor β) that can induce fibrosis. Preclinical studies provide first evidence for beneficial effects of inhibiting glucose transport in the proximal tubule in models of ischemia-reperfusion injury. Comparing renal RNA sequencing data with kidney function during recovery from varying levels of AKI may provide new cues with regard to the sequence of events and help identify key determinants of recovery from AKI. Key Messages: Tubular recovery after AKI is vital for recovery of kidney function including improvement of GFR, and likely determines which patients fully recover from AKI or progress to chronic kidney disease. There is a need to better understand the sequence of events and the processes of tubular cell proliferation and repair, including safe strategies to intervene. The temporary inhibition of selected tubular transport processes, possibly in selected nephron regions, may provide an opportunity to improve tubular cell energetics and facilitate tubular cell recovery with consequences for kidney outcome. © 2018 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Normal tubular regeneration and differentiation of the post-ischemic kidney in mice lacking vimentin.

PubMed Central

Terzi, F.; Maunoury, R.; Colucci-Guyon, E.; Babinet, C.; Federici, P.; Briand, P.; Friedlander, G.

1997-01-01

Proliferation and dedifferentiation of tubular cells are the hallmark of early regeneration after renal ischemic injury. Vimentin, a class III intermediate filament expressed only in mesenchymal cells of mature mammals, was shown to be transiently expressed in post-ischemic renal tubular epithelial cells. Vimentin re-expression was interpreted as a marker of cellular dedifferentiation, but its role in tubular regeneration after renal ischemia has also been hypothesized. This role was evaluated in mice bearing a null mutation of the vimentin gene. Expression of vimentin, proliferating cell nuclear antigen (a marker of cellular proliferation), and villin (a marker of differentiated brush-border membranes) was studied in wild-type (Vim+/+), heterozygous (Vim+/-), and homozygous (Vim-/-) mice subjected to transient ischemia of the left kidney. As expected, vimentin was detected by immunohistochemistry at the basal pole of proximal tubular cells from post-ischemic kidney in Vim+/+ and Vim+/- mice from day 2 to day 28. The expression of the reporter gene beta-galactosidase in Vim+/- and Vim-/- mice confirmed the tubular origin of vimentin. No compensatory expression of keratin could be demonstrated in Vim-/- mice. The intensity of proliferating cell nuclear antigen labeling and the pattern of villin expression were comparable in Vim-/-, Vim+/- and Vim+/+ mice at any time of the study. After 60 days, the structure of post-ischemic kidneys in Vim-/- mice was indistinguishable from that of normal non-operated kidneys in Vim+/+ mice. In conclusion, 1) the pattern of post-ischemic proximal tubular cell proliferation, differentiation, and tubular organization was not impaired in mice lacking vimentin and 2) these results suggest that the transient tubular expression of vimentin is not instrumental in tubular regeneration after renal ischemic injury. Images Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 5 Figure 6 Figure 7 PMID:9094992

An Independent Constraint on Marine Sulfate Levels at the Ediacaran-Cambrian Transition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blättler, C. L.; Bergmann, K.; Higgins, J. A.

2016-12-01

Sediments from the Ediacaran-Cambrian transition in Oman record major excursions in the isotopic systems of carbon (δ13C) and sulfur (δ34S). The significance of these geochemical signals has been the subject of much debate, focusing on their association with biotic innovations and extinctions, oxygenation of the atmosphere and oceans, and changes in seawater chemistry. The concentration of marine sulfate during this time interval remains particularly uncertain, despite being a critical variable for several hypotheses related to these excursions. We present an independent constraint on relative sulfate concentrations based on calcium-isotope data from the Ara Group evaporites (547-540 Ma) of the South Oman Salt Basin. Anhydrite samples from five boreholes span the A1 through A5 carbonate-evaporite sequences, lying on both sides of the Precambrian-Cambrian boundary. The approach developed by Blättler and Higgins (2014) is used to quantify the degree of isotopic distillation of calcium by sulfate mineral precipitation. The absence of significant distillation (expressed by δ44/40Ca variability in the anhydrite) suggests that Ca/SO4 ratios in the latest Ediacaran and earliest Cambrian were greater than during the Neogene or Permian. These results, together with previously published analyses of halite fluid inclusions and models of sulfur cycling, give a clearer estimate of how marine sulfate levels may have evolved during this dynamic period in Earth history.

Exceptionally preserved crustaceans from western Canada reveal a cryptic Cambrian radiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harvey, Thomas H. P.; Vélez, Maria I.; Butterfield, Nicholas J.

2012-01-01

The early history of crustaceans is obscured by strong biases in fossil preservation, but a previously overlooked taphonomic mode yields important complementary insights. Here we describe diverse crustacean appendages of Middle and Late Cambrian age from shallow-marine mudstones of the Deadwood Formation in western Canada. The fossils occur as flattened and fragmentary carbonaceous cuticles but provide a suite of phylogenetic and ecological data by virtue of their detailed preservation. In addition to an unprecedented range of complex, largely articulated filtering limbs, we identify at least four distinct types of mandible. Together, these fossils provide the earliest evidence for crown-group branchiopods and total-group copepods and ostracods, extending the respective ranges of these clades back from the Devonian, Pennsylvanian, and Ordovician. Detailed similarities with living forms demonstrate the early origins and subsequent conservation of various complex food-handling adaptations, including a directional mandibular asymmetry that has persisted through half a billion years of evolution. At the same time, the Deadwood fossils indicate profound secular changes in crustacean ecology in terms of body size and environmental distribution. The earliest radiation of crustaceans is largely cryptic in the fossil record, but "small carbonaceous fossils" reveal organisms of surprisingly modern aspect operating in an unfamiliar biosphere.

Tubular inverse opal scaffolds for biomimetic vessels.

PubMed

Zhao, Ze; Wang, Jie; Lu, Jie; Yu, Yunru; Fu, Fanfan; Wang, Huan; Liu, Yuxiao; Zhao, Yuanjin; Gu, Zhongze

2016-07-14

There is a clinical need for tissue-engineered blood vessels that can be used to replace or bypass damaged arteries. The success of such grafts depends strongly on their ability to mimic native arteries; however, currently available artificial vessels are restricted by their complex processing, controversial integrity, or uncontrollable cell location and orientation. Here, we present new tubular scaffolds with specific surface microstructures for structural vessel mimicry. The tubular scaffolds are fabricated by rotationally expanding three-dimensional tubular inverse opals that are replicated from colloidal crystal templates in capillaries. Because of the ordered porous structure of the inverse opals, the expanded tubular scaffolds are imparted with circumferentially oriented elliptical pattern microstructures on their surfaces. It is demonstrated that these tailored tubular scaffolds can effectively make endothelial cells to form an integrated hollow tubular structure on their inner surface and induce smooth muscle cells to form a circumferential orientation on their outer surface. These features of our tubular scaffolds make them highly promising for the construction of biomimetic blood vessels.

Closure of tubular patent ductus arteriosus with the Amplatzer Vascular Plug IV: feasibility and safety.

PubMed

Baruteau, Alban-Elouen; Lambert, Virginie; Riou, Jean-Yves; Angel, Claude-Yves; Belli, Emre; Petit, Jérôme

2015-01-01

Closure of tubular patent ductus arteriosus remains a challenging procedure. Anecdotal use of Amplatzer Vascular Plug IV for tubular ductus closure has been reported but feasibility and safety in a consecutive patients' series remain unknown. We performed a monocenter prospective study at the Marie Lannelongue Hospital in Paris, France. From 2009 to 2014, a total of 47 patients (39 infants, 3 children, and 5 adults) underwent ductus closure with the Plug IV. Ductus morphology was a type E in 34 (72.3%) patients and a type C in 13 (27.7%) patients. Ductus closure occurred in 39 (83.0%) infants at a median age of seven months (range: 3-23 months) and a median weight of 6.9 kg (range: 4.1-17.0 kg). A past history of prematurity and very low birth weight was found in 33 (70.2%) of them. Twelve (25.5%) patients had pulmonary hypertension. Mean Plug IV diameter was 1.9 ± 0.1 mm larger than the mean maximal ductus diameter. Early complete closure of the ductus was obtained in all patients. Early migration of an undersized Plug IV occurred in one (2.1%) patient and was suitable for percutaneous device retrieval. After a mean follow-up of 3.4 ± 1.4 years, all patients are alive and asymptomatic, no late complication occurred. Transcatheter closure of tubular ductus with the Amplatzer Vascular Plug IV can be safe and effective, with a 100% early occlusion rate. This device, suitable for a 4F sheath, is a new alternative for tubular ductus closure in low-body-weight infants. © The Author(s) 2014.

A Late Cambrian Carbon Isotope Excursion Recorded in Passive Margin Dolostones of the Central Appalachian Basin, USA.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mackey, J. E.; Stewart, B. W.

2016-12-01

A Late Cambrian global positive carbon isotope excursion, known as the SPICE event [1,2] is linked to possible widespread ocean anoxia and enhanced carbon burial [3,4]. We report data from the central Appalachian Conasauga Group from the upper portion of the Middle Cambrian Maryville limestone, through the Late Cambrian Nolichucky shale and Maynardville limestone members. A geochemical, macro-, and micro-scale analyses of core material from southeastern Ohio was carried out to further constrain the timing of oceanic anoxia and trace element geochemistry relative to sediment fluxes occurring at the transition of the Middle to Late Cambrian. The section represents condensed, passive margin shale deposition and carbonate ramp development on the continental shelf of Laurentia. Carbonate sediments (primarily diagenetic dolomite) record a positive δ13C (relative to V-PDB) excursion starting in the upper Nolichucky shale member, reaching its peak (+4.0) in the overlying Maynardville limestone. At this location, there is an offset between the onlap Nolichucky shale deposition and start of the C isotope excursion; this was reported as well in a carbonate section further south of this location [2], on the other side of an extensional feature (Rome Trough) that formed a deep marine basin during Cambrian time. The condensed shale package and relatively low TOC content in our samples is likely due to the combination of a shallow, upslope basin location and isostatic influence on passive margin sedimentation. However, within the Rome Trough, the Nolichucky shale is rich in organic carbon and a recent target of hydrocarbon exploration. The data suggest a possible link between deposition of this shale and the global SPICE event. The robustness of the Late Cambrian δ13C excursion in diagenetically altered sediments and association with hydrocarbon bearing units indicates its utility as a stratigraphic indicator and as a target for exploration. Ongoing geochemical work will focus

Micro-Tubular Fuel Cells

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kimble, Michael C.; Anderson, Everett B.; Jayne, Karen D.; Woodman, Alan S.

2004-01-01

Micro-tubular fuel cells that would operate at power levels on the order of hundreds of watts or less are under development as alternatives to batteries in numerous products - portable power tools, cellular telephones, laptop computers, portable television receivers, and small robotic vehicles, to name a few examples. Micro-tubular fuel cells exploit advances in the art of proton-exchange-membrane fuel cells. The main advantage of the micro-tubular fuel cells over the plate-and-frame fuel cells would be higher power densities: Whereas the mass and volume power densities of low-pressure hydrogen-and-oxygen-fuel plate-and-frame fuel cells designed to operate in the targeted power range are typically less than 0.1 W/g and 0.1 kW/L, micro-tubular fuel cells are expected to reach power densities much greater than 1 W/g and 1 kW/L. Because of their higher power densities, micro-tubular fuel cells would be better for powering portable equipment, and would be better suited to applications in which there are requirements for modularity to simplify maintenance or to facilitate scaling to higher power levels. The development of PEMFCs has conventionally focused on producing large stacks of cells that operate at typical power levels >5 kW. The usual approach taken to developing lower-power PEMFCs for applications like those listed above has been to simply shrink the basic plate-and-frame configuration to smaller dimensions. A conventional plate-and-frame fuel cell contains a membrane/electrode assembly in the form of a flat membrane with electrodes of the same active area bonded to both faces. In order to provide reactants to both electrodes, bipolar plates that contain flow passages are placed on both electrodes. The mass and volume overhead of the bipolar plates amounts to about 75 percent of the total mass and volume of a fuel-cell stack. Removing these bipolar plates in the micro-tubular fuel cell significantly increases the power density.

Paragenesis of the Morgan Creek Limestone, Late Cambrian, central Texas: Constraints on the formation of glauconite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chafetz, Henry S.

2007-06-01

Deposition of the Morgan Creek Limestone, a member of the Cambrian Wilberns Formation, began a few meters above a disconformable surface and displays abundant indicators of accumulation in shallow marine to tidal flat environments. These indicators include: intercalation of a lithologic variety of thin beds (e.g. biosparites, biomicrites, oosparites, intrasparites), which display rapid vertical and lateral lithologic changes, numerous stromatolitic horizons, channels filled with graded oosparites and intrasparites that cut through micrite accumulations, and finely laminated (non-burrowed) siltstones. Glauconite is a ubiquitous minor constituent throughout in the form of pellets, replaced skeletal material and mica books, and, most informatively, as an authigenic precipitate in the form of fibroradiating rims on carbonate allochems and siliciclastic grains. Fibroradiating glauconite rims were disrupted and pushed away from the pelmatozoan nuclei on which they precipitated. Combined sedimentological and paragenetic constraints indicate that the glauconite was the earliest diagenetic event to affect these sediments and occurred essentially at the sediment-water interface within these relatively high-energy, shallow marine deposits. Precipitation of glauconite was closely followed by precipitation of carbonate cement as well as dissolution of aragonitic constituents. Later diagenetic processes included selective dolomitization and silicification. In modern seas glauconite is reported to form at and below mid-shelf water depths. Thus, the constraints pertaining to the origin of modern glauconite are not valid for Late Cambrian deposits and probably are also not applicable for Late Cretaceous through Early Paleogene glauconites.

Proximal renal tubular injury in rats sub-chronically exposed to low fluoride concentrations

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

Cárdenas-González, Mariana C.; Del Razo, Luz M.; Barrera-Chimal, Jonatan

2013-11-01

Fluoride is usually found in groundwater at a very wide range of concentration between 0.5 and 25 ppm. At present, few studies have assessed the renal effects of fluoride at environmentally relevant concentrations. Furthermore, most of these studies have used insensitive and nonspecific biomarkers of kidney injury. The aim of this study was to use early and sensitive biomarkers to evaluate kidney injury after fluoride exposure to environmentally relevant concentrations. Recently weaned male Wistar rats were exposed to low (15 ppm) and high (50 ppm) fluoride concentrations in drinking water for a period of 40 days. At the end ofmore » the exposure period, kidney injury biomarkers were measured in urine and renal mRNA expression levels were assessed by real time RT-PCR. Our results showed that the urinary kidney injury molecule (Kim-1), clusterin (Clu), osteopontin (OPN) and heat shock protein 72 excretion rate significantly increased in the group exposed to the high fluoride concentration. Accordingly, fluoride exposure increased renal Kim-1, Clu and OPN mRNA expression levels. Moreover, there was a significant dose-dependent increase in urinary β-2-microglobulin and cystatin-C excretion rate. Additionally, a tendency towards a dose dependent increase of tubular damage in the histopathological light microscopy findings confirmed the preferential impact of fluoride on the tubular structure. All of these changes occurred at early stages in which, the renal function was not altered. In conclusion using early and sensitive biomarkers of kidney injury, we were able to found proximal tubular alterations in rats sub-chronically exposed to fluoride. - Highlights: • Exposure to low concentrations of fluoride induced proximal tubular injury • Increase in urinary Kim-1, Clu, OPN and Hsp72 in 50 ppm fluoride-exposed group • Increase in urinary B2M and CysC in 15 and 50 ppm fluoride-exposed groups • Fluoride exposure increased renal Kim, Clu and OPN mRNA expression

Meiofaunal deuterostomes from the basal Cambrian of Shaanxi (China).

PubMed

Han, Jian; Morris, Simon Conway; Ou, Qiang; Shu, Degan; Huang, Hai

2017-02-09

Deuterostomes include the group we belong to (vertebrates) as well as an array of disparate forms that include echinoderms, hemichordates and more problematic groups such as vetulicolians and vetulocystids. The Cambrian fossil record is well-populated with representative examples, but possible intermediates are controversial and the nature of the original deuterostome remains idealized. Here we report millimetric fossils, Saccorhytus coronarius nov. gen., nov. sp., from an Orsten-like Lagerstätte from the earliest Cambrian period of South China, which stratigraphically are amongst the earliest of deuterostomes. The bag-like body bears a prominent mouth and associated folds, and behind them up to four conical openings on either side of the body as well as possible sensory structures. An anus may have been absent, and correspondingly the lateral openings probably served to expel water and waste material. This new form has similarities to both the vetulicolians and vetulocystids and collectively these findings suggest that a key step in deuterostome evolution was the development of lateral openings that subsequently were co-opted as pharyngeal gills. Depending on its exact phylogenetic position, the meiofaunal habit of Saccorhytus may help to explain the major gap between divergence times seen in the fossil record and estimates based on molecular clocks.

Preservation and phylogeny of Cambrian ecdysozoans tested by experimental decay of Priapulus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sansom, Robert S.

2016-09-01

The exceptionally preserved Cambrian fossil record provides unique insight into the early evolutionary history of animals. Understanding of the mechanisms of exceptional soft tissue preservation frames all interpretations of the fauna and its evolutionary significance. This is especially true for recent interpretations of preserved nervous tissues in fossil ecdysozoans. However, models of soft tissue preservation lack empirical support from actualistic studies. Here experimental decay of the priapulid Priapulus reveal consistent bias towards rapid loss of internal non-cuticular anatomy compared with recalcitrant cuticular anatomy. This is consistent with models of Burgess Shale-type preservation and indicates that internal tissues are unlikely to be preserved with fidelity if organically preserved. This pattern, along with extreme body margin distortion, is consistent with onychophoran decay, and is therefore resolved as general for early ecdysozoans. Application of these patterns to phylogenetic data finds scalidophoran taxa to be very sensitive to taphonomically informed character coding, but not panarthropodan taxa. Priapulid decay also have unexpected relevance for interpretation of myomeres in fossil chordates. The decay data presented serve not only as a test of models of preservation but also a framework with which to interpret ecdysozoan fossil anatomies, and the subsequent evolutionary inferences drawn from them.

Preservation and phylogeny of Cambrian ecdysozoans tested by experimental decay of Priapulus

PubMed Central

Sansom, Robert S.

2016-01-01

The exceptionally preserved Cambrian fossil record provides unique insight into the early evolutionary history of animals. Understanding of the mechanisms of exceptional soft tissue preservation frames all interpretations of the fauna and its evolutionary significance. This is especially true for recent interpretations of preserved nervous tissues in fossil ecdysozoans. However, models of soft tissue preservation lack empirical support from actualistic studies. Here experimental decay of the priapulid Priapulus reveal consistent bias towards rapid loss of internal non-cuticular anatomy compared with recalcitrant cuticular anatomy. This is consistent with models of Burgess Shale-type preservation and indicates that internal tissues are unlikely to be preserved with fidelity if organically preserved. This pattern, along with extreme body margin distortion, is consistent with onychophoran decay, and is therefore resolved as general for early ecdysozoans. Application of these patterns to phylogenetic data finds scalidophoran taxa to be very sensitive to taphonomically informed character coding, but not panarthropodan taxa. Priapulid decay also have unexpected relevance for interpretation of myomeres in fossil chordates. The decay data presented serve not only as a test of models of preservation but also a framework with which to interpret ecdysozoan fossil anatomies, and the subsequent evolutionary inferences drawn from them. PMID:27595908

Minimally invasive posterior cervical decompression using tubular retractor: The technical note and early clinical outcome

PubMed Central

Hur, Jung-Woo; Kim, Jin-Sung; Shin, Myeong-Hoon; Ryu, Kyeong-Sik

2014-01-01

Background: The aim of this work is to present a novel decompression technique that approaches cervical spine posteriorly, but through minimal invasive method using tubular retractor avoiding detachment of posterior musculature. Methods: Six patients underwent minimally invasive posterior cervical decompression using the tubular retractor system and surgical microscope. Minimally invasive access to the posterior cervical spine was performed with exposure through a paramedian muscle-splitting approach. With the assistance of a specialized tubular retraction system and deep soft tissue expansion mechanism, multilevel posterior cervical decompression could be accomplished. This approach also allows safe docking of the retractor system on the lateral mass, thus avoiding the cervical spinal canal during exposure. A standard operating microscope was used with ×10 magnification and 400 mm focal length. The hospital charts, magnetic resonance imaging studies, and follow-up records of all the patients were reviewed. Outcome was assessed by neurological status and visual analog scale (VAS) for neck and arm pain. Results: There was no significant complication related to operation. The follow-up time was 4-12 months (mean, 9 months). Muscle weakness improved in all patients; sensory deficits resolved in four patients and improved in two patients. Analysis of the mean VAS for radicular pain and VAS for neck pain showed significant improvement. Conclusions: The preliminary experiences with good clinical outcome seem to promise that this minimally invasive technique is a valid alternative option for the treatment of cervical spondylotic myelopathy. PMID:24778922

A Vendian-Cambrian boundary succession from the northwestern margin of the Siberian Platform: stratigraphy, palaeontology, chemostratigraphy and correlation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bartley, J. K.; Pope, M.; Knoll, A. H.; Semikhatov, M. A.; Grotzinger, J. (Principal Investigator)

1998-01-01

Siberia contains several key reference sections for studies of biological and environmental evolution across the Proterozoic-Phanerozoic transition. The Platonovskaya Formation, exposed in the Turukhansk region of western Siberia, is an uppermost Proterozoic to Cambrian succession whose trace and body fossils place broad limits on the age of deposition, but do not permit detailed correlation with boundary successions elsewhere. In contrast, a striking negative carbon isotopic excursion in the lower part of the Platonovskaya Formation permits precise chemostratigraphic correlation with upper-most Yudomian successions in Siberia, and possibly worldwide. In addition to providing a tool for correlation, the isotopic excursion preserved in the Platonovskaya and contemporaneous successions documents a major biogeochemical event, likely involving the world ocean. The excursion coincides with the palaeontological breakpoint between Ediacaran- and Cambrian-style assemblages, suggesting a role for biogeochemical change in evolutionary events near the Proterozoic Cambrian boundary.

A Vendian-Cambrian boundary succession from the northwestern margin of the Siberian Platform: stratigraphy, palaeontology, chemostratigraphy and correlation.

PubMed

Bartley, J K; Pope, M; Knoll, A H; Semikhatov, M A; Petrov PYu

1998-07-01

Siberia contains several key reference sections for studies of biological and environmental evolution across the Proterozoic-Phanerozoic transition. The Platonovskaya Formation, exposed in the Turukhansk region of western Siberia, is an uppermost Proterozoic to Cambrian succession whose trace and body fossils place broad limits on the age of deposition, but do not permit detailed correlation with boundary successions elsewhere. In contrast, a striking negative carbon isotopic excursion in the lower part of the Platonovskaya Formation permits precise chemostratigraphic correlation with upper-most Yudomian successions in Siberia, and possibly worldwide. In addition to providing a tool for correlation, the isotopic excursion preserved in the Platonovskaya and contemporaneous successions documents a major biogeochemical event, likely involving the world ocean. The excursion coincides with the palaeontological breakpoint between Ediacaran- and Cambrian-style assemblages, suggesting a role for biogeochemical change in evolutionary events near the Proterozoic Cambrian boundary.

Unlocking the early fossil record of the arthropod central nervous system

PubMed Central

Edgecombe, Gregory D.; Ma, Xiaoya; Strausfeld, Nicholas J.

2015-01-01

Extant panarthropods (euarthropods, onychophorans and tardigrades) are hallmarked by stunning morphological and taxonomic diversity, but their central nervous systems (CNS) are relatively conserved. The timing of divergences of the ground pattern CNS organization of the major panarthropod clades has been poorly constrained because of a scarcity of data from their early fossil record. Although the CNS has been documented in three-dimensional detail in insects from Cenozoic ambers, it is widely assumed that these tissues are too prone to decay to withstand other styles of fossilization or geologically older preservation. However, Cambrian Burgess Shale-type compressions have emerged as sources of fossilized brains and nerve cords. CNS in these Cambrian fossils are preserved as carbon films or as iron oxides/hydroxides after pyrite in association with carbon. Experiments with carcasses compacted in fine-grained sediment depict preservation of neural tissue for a more prolonged temporal window than anticipated by decay experiments in other media. CNS and compound eye characters in exceptionally preserved Cambrian fossils predict divergences of the mandibulate and chelicerate ground patterns by Cambrian Stage 3 (ca 518 Ma), a dating that is compatible with molecular estimates for these splits. PMID:26554038

Magnetic reversal frequency in the Lower Cambrian Niutitang Formation, Hunan Province, South China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duan, Zongqi; Liu, Qingsong; Ren, Shoumai; Li, Lihui; Deng, Xiaolong; Liu, Jianxing

2018-05-01

The reversal frequency of the paleomagnetic field bears great information of evolution of the Earth's deep interior. However, there are still debates on the frequency pattern during the older periods of the Phanerozoic. This study investigated the Niutitang Formation (Lower Cambrian) of the Ciye 1 Hole from south China. Rock magnetic results indicate that the dominant magnetic carrier is magnetite. Characteristic remanence magnetizations have been successfully isolated for the weakly-magnetized shale rocks through stepwise alternated field demagnetization using the 2 G Enterprises Rapid System Magnetometer with a low-noise thin-walled quartz-glass sample holder. Constrained by radiometric ages, our paleomagnetic results indicated frequent polarity reversals during the period of ˜524-514 Ma, which backs up the speculation about the episode of the Ediacaran-Cambrian (˜550-500 Ma) with a character of reversal hyperactivity.

Decoupling biogeochemical records, extinction, and environmental change during the Cambrian SPICE event

PubMed Central

Schiffbauer, James D.; Huntley, John Warren; Fike, David A.; Jeffrey, Matthew Jarrell; Gregg, Jay M.; Shelton, Kevin L.

2017-01-01

Several positive carbon isotope excursions in Lower Paleozoic rocks, including the prominent Upper Cambrian Steptoean Positive Carbon Isotope Excursion (SPICE), are thought to reflect intermittent perturbations in the hydrosphere-biosphere system. Models explaining these secular changes are abundant, but the synchronicity and regional variation of the isotope signals are not well understood. Examination of cores across a paleodepth gradient in the Upper Cambrian central Missouri intrashelf basin (United States) reveals a time-transgressive, facies-dependent nature of the SPICE. Although the SPICE event may be a global signal, the manner in which it is recorded in rocks should and does vary as a function of facies and carbonate platform geometry. We call for a paradigm shift to better constrain facies, stratigraphic, and biostratigraphic architecture and to apply these observations to the variability in magnitude, stratigraphic extent, and timing of the SPICE signal, as well as other biogeochemical perturbations, to elucidate the complex processes driving the ocean-carbonate system. PMID:28275734

Groundwater quality in the Cambrian-Ordovician aquifer system, midwestern United States

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stackelberg, Paul E.

2017-12-07

Groundwater provides nearly 50 percent of the Nation’s drinking water. To help protect this vital resource, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Project assesses groundwater quality in aquifers that are important sources of drinking water (Burow and Belitz, 2014). The Cambrian-Ordovician aquifer system constitutes one of the important areas being evaluated.

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR FABRICATING TUBULAR UNITS

DOEpatents

Haldeman, G.W.

1959-02-24

A method and apparatus are described for fabricating tubular assemblies such as clad fuel elements for nuclear reactors. According to this method, a plurality of relatively short cylindrical slug-shaped members are inserted in an outer protective tubular jacket, and the assembly is passed through a reducing die to draw the outer tubular member into tight contact with the slug members, the slugs being automatically spaced with respect to each other and helium being inserted during the drawing operation to fill the spaces. The apparatus includes a pusher rod which functions to space the slugelements equidistantly by pushing on them in the direction of drawing but traveling at a slower rate than that of the tubular member.

A New Stalked Filter-Feeder from the Middle Cambrian Burgess Shale, British Columbia, Canada

PubMed Central

O'Brien, Lorna J.; Caron, Jean-Bernard

2012-01-01

Burgess Shale-type deposits provide invaluable insights into the early evolution of body plans and the ecological structure of Cambrian communities, but a number of species, continue to defy phylogenetic interpretations. Here we extend this list to include a new soft-bodied animal, Siphusauctum gregarium n. gen. and n. sp., from the Tulip Beds (Campsite Cliff Shale Member, Burgess Shale Formation) of Mount Stephen (Yoho National Park, British Columbia). With 1,133 specimens collected, S. gregarium is clearly the most abundant animal from this locality. This stalked animal (reaching at least 20 cm in length), has a large ovoid calyx connected to a narrow bilayered stem and a small flattened or bulb-like holdfast. The calyx is enclosed by a flexible sheath with six small openings at the base, and a central terminal anus near the top encircled by indistinct openings. A prominent organ, represented by six radially symmetrical segments with comb-like elements, surrounds an internal body cavity with a large stomach, conical median gut and straight intestine. Siphusauctum gregarium was probably an active filter-feeder, with water passing through the calyx openings, capturing food particles with its comb-like elements. It often occurs in large assemblages on single bedding planes suggesting a gregarious lifestyle, with the animal living in high tier clusters. These were probably buried en masse more or less in-situ by rapid mud flow events. Siphusauctum gregarium resembles Dinomischus, another Cambrian enigmatic stalked animal. Principal points of comparison include a long stem with a calyx containing a visceral mass and bract-like elements, and a similar lifestyle albeit occupying different tiering levels. The presence in both animals of a digestive tract with a potential stomach and anus suggest a grade of organization within bilaterians, but relationships with extant phyla are not straightforward. Thus, the broader affinities of S. gregarium remain largely unconstrained

Arcas Rocket with Special Tubular Launcher

NASA Image and Video Library

1959-07-31

Arcas Rocket with Special Tubular Launcher: Lt. Commander W. Houston checks elevation adjustment of special tubular launcher for Arcas rocket, July 31, 1959. Photograph published in A New Dimension Wallops Island Flight Test Range: The First Fifteen Years by Joseph Shortal. A NASA publication. Page 697.

Tubular copper thrust chamber design study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Masters, A. I.; Galler, D. E.

1992-01-01

The use of copper tubular thrust chambers is particularly important in high performance expander cycle space engines. Tubular chambers have more surface area than flat wall chambers, and this extra surface area provides enhanced heat transfer for additional energy to power the cycle. This paper was divided into two sections: (1) a thermal analysis and sensitivity study; and (2) a preliminary design of a selected thrust chamber configuration. The thermal analysis consisted of a statistical optimization to determine the optimum tube geometry, tube booking, thrust chamber geometry, and cooling routing to achieve the maximum upper limit chamber pressure for a 25,000 pound thrust engine. The preliminary design effort produced a layout drawing of a tubular thrust chamber that is three inches shorter than the Advanced Expander Test Bed (AETB) milled channel chamber but is predicted to provide a five percent increase in heat transfer. Testing this chamber in the AETB would confirm the inherent advantages of tubular chamber construction and heat transfer.

Upper Neoproterozoic-Lower Cambrian sedimentary successions in the Central Iberian Zone (Spain): sequence stratigraphy, petrology and chemostratigraphy. Implications for other European zones

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Valladares, M. I.; Barba, P.; Ugidos, J. M.; Colmenero, J. R.; Armenteros, I.

The Upper Neoproterozoic-Lower Cambrian sedimentary succession in the central areas of the Central Iberian Zone has been subdivided into 12 mostly siliciclastic lithostratigraphic units, ranging in thickness between 1800 and 3900m. The lithology and facies of each unit are described and the facies associations are interpreted. The facies resulted mainly from turbidity currents and debris flows and, to a lesser extent, from submarine slides and traction flows. The facies associations suggest that sedimentation took place in slope and base-of-slope environments. Two depositional sequences are recognized, separated by a type-1 unconformity. The lower sequence is of Late Neoproterozoic age (units I-IV) and exhibits lowstand, transgressive, and highstand systems tracts. Most of the upper sequence is probably of Early Cambrian age (units V-XII). It begins at the base of unit V and possibly ends with the Tamames Limestone Formation. The upper sequence records a lowstand systems tract and minor-order sea-level oscillations. In the Cambrian units there are higher amounts of feldspar and smaller quantities of intrabasinal clasts than in the Neoproterozoic units. The modal data plot close to the Q-L and Qm-Lt sides of Q-F-L and Qm-F-Lt triangular diagrams, suggesting a provenance from a recycled orogen evolving into a provenance from a craton interior towards the top of the succession. The chemical results, based mainly on Al2O3, TiO2, Zr, and Nb abundances in shales from all the units, strongly suggest a gradual compositional change within this sedimentary succession. Together with the petrological data, the chemical results do not reveal any obvious coeval volcanic contribution to the sediments. On the basis of the chemical data, a comparison is made with other European zones containing detrital sediments composed of reworked crustal components.

Bcl-2 protects tubular epithelial cells from ischemia reperfusion injury by inhibiting apoptosis.

PubMed

Suzuki, Chigure; Isaka, Yoshitaka; Shimizu, Shigeomi; Tsujimoto, Yoshihide; Takabatake, Yoshitsugu; Ito, Takahito; Takahara, Shiro; Imai, Enyu

2008-01-01

Ischemia followed by reperfusion leads to severe organ injury and dysfunction. Inflammation is considered to be the most important cause of graft dysfunction in kidney transplantation subjected to ischemia. The mechanism that triggers inflammation and renal injury after ischemia remains to be elucidated; however, cellular stress may induce apoptosis during the first hours and days after transplantation, which might play a crucial role in early graft dysfunction. Bcl-2 is known to inhibit apoptosis induced by the etiological factors promoting ischemia and reperfusion injury. Accordingly, we hypothesized that an augmentation of the antiapoptotic factor Bcl-2 may thus protect tubular epithelial cells by inhibiting apoptosis, thereby ameliorating the subsequent tubulointerstitial injury. We examined the effects of Bcl-2 overexpression on ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury using Bcl-2 transgenic mice (Bcl-2 TG) and their wild-type littermates (WT). To investigate the effects of I/R injury, the left renal artery and vein were clamped for 45 min, followed by reperfusion for 0-96 h. Bcl-2 TG exhibited decreased active caspase protein in the tubular cells, which led to a reduction in TUNEL-positive apoptotic cells. Consequently, interstitial fibrosis and phenotypic changes were ameliorated in Bcl-2 TG. In conclusion, Bcl-2 augmentation protected renal tubular epithelial cells from I/R, and subsequent interstitial injury by inhibiting tubular apoptosis.

Phosphate Biomineralization of Cambrian Microorganisms

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McKay, David S.; Rozanov, Alexei Yu.; Hoover, Richard B.; Westall, Frances

1998-01-01

As part of a long term study of biological markers (biomarkers), we are documenting a variety of features which reflect the previous presence of living organisms. As we study meteorites and samples returned from Mars, our main clue to recognizing possible microbial material may be the presence of biomarkers rather than the organisms themselves. One class of biomarkers consists of biominerals which have either been precipitated directly by microorganisms, or whose precipitation has been influenced by the organisms. Such microbe-mediated mineral formation may include important clues to the size, shape, and environment of the microorganisms. The process of fossilization or mineralization can cause major changes in morphologies and textures of the original organisms. The study of fossilized terrestrial organisms can help provide insight into the interpretation of mineral biomarkers. This paper describes the results of investigations of microfossils in Cambrian phosphate-rich rocks (phosphorites) that were found in Khubsugul, Northern Mongolia.

Role of the glomerular-tubular imbalance with tubular predominance in the arterial hypertension pathophysiology.

PubMed

Fox, María Ofelia Barber; Gutiérrez, Ernesto Barber

2013-09-01

In previous investigations we caused renal tubular reabsorption preponderance relating to the glomerular filtration (Glomerular-tubular imbalance) and we observed that this fact conducted to volume expansion and development of arterial hypertension, in rats that previously were normotens. We based on this evidence and other which are reflected in the literature arrived at the following hypothesis: a greater proportion of tubular reabsorption relating to the filtered volume is the base of the establishment of the glomerular-tubular imbalance with tubular predominance (GTI-T), which favors to the Na(+)-fluid retention and volume expansion. All of which conduced to arterial hypertension. These facts explain a primary hypertensive role of the kidney, consistent with the results of renal transplants performed in different lines of hypertensive rats and their respective controls and in humans: hypertension can be transferred with the kidney. GTI-T aims to be, a common phenomenon involved in the hypertension development in the multiple ways which is manifested the hypertensive syndrome. In secondary hypertension, GTI-T is caused by significant disruptions of hormone secretions that control renal function, or obvious vascular or parenchymal damage of these organs. In primary hypertension the GTI-T has less obvious causes inherently developed in the kidney, including humoral, cellular and subcellular mechanisms, which may insidiously manifest under environmental factors influence, resulting in insidious development of hypertension. This would explain the state of prehypertension that these individuals suffer. So it has great importance to study GTI-T before the hypertension is established, because when hypertensive state is established, other mechanisms are installed and they contribute to maintain the hypertension. Our hypothesis may explaining the inability of the kidneys to excrete salt and water in hypertension, as Guyton and colleagues have expressed and constitutes a

The 'Orsten': more than a Cambrian Konservat-Lagerstätte yielding exceptional preservation

USGS Publications Warehouse

Maas, Andreas; Braun, Andreas; Dong, Xi-Ping; Donoghue, Philip C.J.; Muller, Klaus J.; Olempska, Ewa; Repetski, John E.; Siveter, David J.; Stein, Martin; Waloszek, Dieter

2006-01-01

In several areas of southern Sweden, limestone nodules, locally called Orsten occur within bituminous alum shales. These shales and nodules were deposited under dysoxic conditions at the bottom of what was most likely a shallow sea during the late Middle to Upper Cambrian (ca. 500 million years ago). Subsequently, the name ‘Orsten’ has been referred to particular, mainly arthropod, fossils from such nodules, and, in a wider sense, to the specific type of preservation of minute fossil through secondarily phosphatization. This preservation is exceptional in yielding uncompacted and diagenetically undeformed three-dimensional fossils. ‘Orsten’-type preservation resulted from incrustation of a thin external layer and also by impregnation by calcium phosphate and, therefore, mineralization of the surface of the former animals during early diagenesis. Primarily, this type of preservation seems to have affected only cuticle-bearing metazoans such as cycloneuralian nemathelminths and arthropods. ‘Orsten’ preservation in this sense seems to be limited by size, in having yielded no partial or complete animals larger than 2 mm. On the other end of the scale, even larvae 100 μm long are preserved, often more complete than larger specimens, and details such as setules and pores smaller than 1 μm can be observed. Fossils preserved in such a manner are almost exclusively hollow carcasses, but can be filled secondarily; less common are completely phosphatized compact specimens. The high quality of preservation makes the Swedish ‘Orsten’ a typical Konservat-Lagerstätte. Yet, its special type of preservation is more widespread in time and geographical distribution than assumed initially, and the origin of the phosphate is not necessarily restricted just to one source. Subsequent to the first discoveries of limb fragments of Cambrian arthropods in 1975, animals in this special preservational type have been discovered in several continents and across a broad

Diabetes and renal tubular cell apoptosis

PubMed Central

Habib, Samy L

2013-01-01

Apoptosis contributes to the development of diabetic nephropathy, but the mechanism by which high glucose induces apoptosis is not fully understood. Apoptosis of tubular epithelial cells is a major feature of diabetic kidney disease, and hyperglycemia triggers the generation of free radicals and oxidant stress in tubular cells. Hyperglycemia and high glucose in vitro also lead to apoptosis, a form of programmed cell death. High glucose similar to those seen with hyperglycemia in people with diabetes mellitus, lead to accelerated apoptosis, a form of programmed cell death characterized by cell shrinkage, chromatin condensation and DNA fragmentation, in variety of cell types, including renal proximal tubular epithelial cells. PMID:23593533

Diabetes and renal tubular cell apoptosis.

PubMed

Habib, Samy L

2013-04-15

Apoptosis contributes to the development of diabetic nephropathy, but the mechanism by which high glucose induces apoptosis is not fully understood. Apoptosis of tubular epithelial cells is a major feature of diabetic kidney disease, and hyperglycemia triggers the generation of free radicals and oxidant stress in tubular cells. Hyperglycemia and high glucose in vitro also lead to apoptosis, a form of programmed cell death. High glucose similar to those seen with hyperglycemia in people with diabetes mellitus, lead to accelerated apoptosis, a form of programmed cell death characterized by cell shrinkage, chromatin condensation and DNA fragmentation, in variety of cell types, including renal proximal tubular epithelial cells.

Nd-Sr isotopic and geochemical systematics in Cambrian boninites and tholeiites from Victoria, Australia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nelson, D. R.; Crawford, A. J.; McCulloch, M. T.

1984-11-01

Rocks with boninitic affinities have been recognised in a number of “ophiolites”, including the Cambrian Heathcote and Mt Wellington Greenstone Belts of Victoria. Boninites and high-Mg andesites from the Heathcote Greenstone Belt show a restricted range of initial ɛ Nd values of between +3.3 to +5.8. Extremely refractory boninites from the Mt Wellington Greenstone Belt have ɛ Nd ranging from +1.3 to -9. Ti/Zr is positively correlated with Sm/Nd with the Heathcote lavas generally possessing greater depletion of Ti and enrichment of Zr relative to the middle and heavy REE with increasing LREE/HREE. These data are consistent with the generation of boninites by partial melting of refractory peridotite following invasion by LREE- and Zr-enriched, low ɛ Nd fluids. Tholeiites overlying the boninites in both greenstone belts have flat REE patterns and ɛ Nd˜+5, lower than that anticipated for lavas derived from depleted MORB source reservoirs in the Cambrian, suggesting that their source was also contaminated by a LREE-enriched, low ɛ Nd component similar to that involved in the generation of the Howqua boninites. The added components have characteristics compatible with their derivation from subducted altered oceanic crust and/or from wet subducted sediments. The identification of boninites and other low-Ti lavas in the Victorian greenstone belts is strong evidence for island arc development in southeastern Australia during the Lower Cambrian and provides further support for a subduction-related origin for many ophiolites.

Cambrian cinctan echinoderms shed light on feeding in the ancestral deuterostome

PubMed Central

Rahman, Imran A.; Zamora, Samuel; Falkingham, Peter L.; Phillips, Jeremy C.

2015-01-01

Reconstructing the feeding mode of the latest common ancestor of deuterostomes is key to elucidating the early evolution of feeding in chordates and allied phyla; however, it is debated whether the ancestral deuterostome was a tentaculate feeder or a pharyngeal filter feeder. To address this, we evaluated the hydrodynamics of feeding in a group of fossil stem-group echinoderms (cinctans) using computational fluid dynamics. We simulated water flow past three-dimensional digital models of a Cambrian fossil cinctan in a range of possible life positions, adopting both passive tentacular feeding and active pharyngeal filter feeding. The results demonstrate that an orientation with the mouth facing downstream of the current was optimal for drag and lift reduction. Moreover, they show that there was almost no flow to the mouth and associated marginal groove under simulations of passive feeding, whereas considerable flow towards the animal was observed for active feeding, which would have enhanced the transport of suspended particles to the mouth. This strongly suggests that cinctans were active pharyngeal filter feeders, like modern enteropneust hemichordates and urochordates, indicating that the ancestral deuterostome employed a similar feeding strategy. PMID:26511049

Albumin stimulates renal tubular inflammation through an HSP70-TLR4 axis in mice with early diabetic nephropathy

PubMed Central

Jheng, Huei-Fen; Tsai, Pei-Jane; Chuang, Yi-Lun; Shen, Yi-Ting; Tai, Ting-An; Chen, Wen-Chung; Chou, Chuan-Kai; Ho, Li-Chun; Tang, Ming-Jer; Lai, Kuei-Tai A.; Sung, Junne-Ming; Tsai, Yau-Sheng

2015-01-01

ABSTRACT Increased urinary albumin excretion is not simply an aftermath of glomerular injury, but is also involved in the progression of diabetic nephropathy (DN). Whereas Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are incriminated in the renal inflammation of DN, whether and how albumin is involved in the TLR-related renal inflammatory response remains to be clarified. Here, we showed that both TLR2 and TLR4, one of their putative endogenous ligands [heat shock protein 70 (HSP70)] and nuclear factor-κB promoter activity were markedly elevated in the kidneys of diabetic mice. A deficiency of TLR4 but not of TLR2 alleviated albuminuria, tubulointerstitial fibrosis and inflammation induced by diabetes. The protection against renal injury in diabetic Tlr4−/− mice was associated with reduced tubular injuries and preserved cubilin levels, rather than amelioration of glomerular lesions. In vitro studies revealed that albumin, a stronger inducer than high glucose (HG), induced the release of HSP70 from proximal tubular cells. HSP70 blockade ameliorated albumin-induced inflammatory mediators. HSP70 triggered the production of inflammatory mediators in a TLR4-dependent manner. Moreover, HSP70 inhibition in vivo ameliorated diabetes-induced albuminuria, inflammatory response and tubular injury. Finally, we found that individuals with DN had higher levels of TLR4 and HSP70 in the dilated tubules than non-diabetic controls. Thus, activation of the HSP70-TLR4 axis, stimulated at least in part by albumin, in the tubular cell is a newly identified mechanism associated with induction of tubulointerstitial inflammation and aggravation of pre-existing microalbuminuria in the progression of DN. PMID:26398934

Tentaculate fossils from the Cambrian of Canada (British Columbia) and China (Yunnan) interpreted as primitive deuterostomes.

PubMed

Caron, Jean-Bernard; Conway Morris, Simon; Shu, Degan

2010-03-08

Molecular and morphological evidence unite the hemichordates and echinoderms as the Ambulacraria, but their earliest history remains almost entirely conjectural. This is on account of the morphological disparity of the ambulacrarians and a paucity of obvious stem-groups. We describe here a new taxon Herpetogaster collinsi gen. et sp. nov. from the Burgess Shale (Middle Cambrian) Lagerstätte. This soft-bodied vermiform animal has a pair of elongate dendritic oral tentacles, a flexible stolon with an attachment disc, and a re-curved trunk with at least 13 segments that is directed dextrally. A differentiated but un-looped gut is enclosed in a sac suspended by mesenteries. It consists of a short pharynx, a conspicuous lenticular stomach, followed by a narrow intestine sub-equal in length. This new taxon, together with the Lower Cambrian Phlogites and more intriguingly the hitherto enigmatic discoidal eldoniids (Cambrian-Devonian), form a distinctive clade (herein the cambroernids). Although one hypothesis of their relationships would look to the lophotrochozoans (specifically the entoprocts), we suggest that the evidence is more consistent with their being primitive deuterostomes, with specific comparisons being made to the pterobranch hemichordates and pre-radial echinoderms. On this basis some of the earliest ambulacrarians are interpreted as soft-bodied animals with a muscular stalk, and possessing prominent tentacles.

Climatic-oceanic forcing on the organic accumulation across the shelf during the Early Cambrian (Age 2 through 3) in the mid-upper Yangtze Block, NE Guizhou, South China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yeasmin, Rumana; Chen, Daizhao; Fu, Yong; Wang, Jianguo; Guo, Zenghui; Guo, Chuan

2017-02-01

The organic-rich sediments were widely deposited over the entire Yangtze Block during the Early Cambrian (late Nemakit-Daldynian to Botomian). In the mid-upper Yangtze region, northeastern Guizhou, South China, they comprise, in ascending order, the Niutitang, Jiumenchong and lower Bianmachong formations which are dominated by black shales except the middle one characterized by interbedded shales-limestones. Three third-order depositional sequences are identified in the two studied sections located on the upper slope to basin of the open shelf. The organic-rich sediments were mostly deposited notably during transgressions on the shallower upper slope-margin (TOC up to 25 wt.%) where they are characterized by co-increases in C, P, Fe, and Ba concentrations, indicating the highest organic productivity and coupled C, P and Fe cycling there. In contrast, in the shelf basin, the concomitant organic-rich sediments yield lower organic (TOC <10 wt.% mostly) and Ba abundances, and generally show antithetic relationship of TOC with P and Fe variations, indicative of a relatively low organic productivity and transient decoupled C, P and Fe cycling in the deeper basin. This spatial difference in C, P, Fe and Ba cycling as a whole thus indicate that the highest organic productivity wedge on the shallower shelf upper slope-margin was likely induced by the oceanic upwelling from the restricted basin where the P and Fe nutrients were transiently depleted without timely renewal. Meanwhile, multiple redox proxies, including V/Al, Ni/Al and Cr/Al ratios vs. TOC contents, together with V/(V + Ni) and V/Cr ratios, generally characterize a more severe euxinic water wedge localized on the shallower upper slope-margin of shelf where the organic production culminated, but a nonsulfidic (ferruginous) anoxic state in the basin due to the relatively low sulfate level. Meanwhile, episodic depletion of trace elements in the deeper basin during the higher organic productivity also reconciles the

Early onset acute tubular necrosis following single infusion of zoledronate.

PubMed

Yachoui, Ralph

2016-01-01

Zoledronate is a highly potent bisphosphonate widely used in the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis. We report the first occurrence of toxic acute tubular necrosis (ATN) following treatment with zoledronate in a patient with osteoporosis. A 63-year-old Caucasian female with rheumatoid arthritis on anti-immune agents received a single dose of zoledronic acid (reclast) for worsening osteoporosis. Twelve days later, she developed renal failure with a rise in serum creatinine from a baseline level of 1.1 mg/dL to 5.5 mg/dL. Renal biopsy showed toxic ATN. Zoledronate was discontinued and the patient had subsequent gradual improvement in renal function with final serum creatinine of 1.8 mg/dL at 1 month of follow up. Careful monitoring of serum creatinine and awareness of the potential nephrotoxicity may avert the development of acute renal failure in osteoporosis patients treated with this agent.

Early onset acute tubular necrosis following single infusion of zoledronate

PubMed Central

Yachoui, Ralph

2016-01-01

Summary Zoledronate is a highly potent bisphosphonate widely used in the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis. We report the first occurrence of toxic acute tubular necrosis (ATN) following treatment with zoledronate in a patient with osteoporosis. A 63-year-old Caucasian female with rheumatoid arthritis on anti-immune agents received a single dose of zoledronic acid (reclast) for worsening osteoporosis. Twelve days later, she developed renal failure with a rise in serum creatinine from a baseline level of 1.1 mg/dL to 5.5 mg/dL. Renal biopsy showed toxic ATN. Zoledronate was discontinued and the patient had subsequent gradual improvement in renal function with final serum creatinine of 1.8 mg/dL at 1 month of follow up. Careful monitoring of serum creatinine and awareness of the potential nephrotoxicity may avert the development of acute renal failure in osteoporosis patients treated with this agent. PMID:27920815

Neurogenic regulation of renal tubular sodium reabsorption.

PubMed

DiBona, G F

1977-08-01

The evidence supporting a role for direct neurogenic control of renal tubular sodium reabsorption is reviewed. Electron microscopic and fluorescence histochemical studies have demonstrated adrenergic nerve terminals in direct contact with basement membranes of mammalian (rat, dog, and monkey) renal tubular epithelial cells. Low-level direct or baroreceptor reflex stimulation of renal sympathetic nerves produces an increase in renal tubular sodium reabsorption without alterations in glomerular filtration rate, renal blood flow, or intrarenal distribution of blood flow. Antinatriuresis was prevented by prior treatment of the kidney with guanethidine or phenoxybenzamine. Rat kidney micropuncture studies have localized a site of enhanced tubular sodium reabsorption to the proximal tubule. Possible indirect mediation of the antinatriuresis by other humoral agents known to be released from the kidney on renal nerve stimulation (angiotensin II, prostaglandin) was excluded by experiments with appropriate blocking agents. The possible effects of anesthesia and uncertainties about the completeness of surgical renal denervation and other tubular segmental sites of action are critically analyzed. The clinical implications of this mechanism in pathologic conditions of sodium and water retention are discussed and and a prospectus for future work is presented.

Siliceous spicules in a vauxiid sponge (Demospongia) from the Kaili Biota(Cambrian Stage 5), Guizhou, South China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, X.-L.; Zhao, Y.-L.; Babcock, L. E.; Peng, J.

2017-02-01

Fossils of the sponge Angulosuspongia sinensis from calcareous mudstones of the middle and upper part of the Kaili Formation (Cambrian Stage 5) in the Jianhe area of Guizhou province, South China, exhibit an apparently reticulate pattern, characteristic of the Vauxiidae. Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectrometry (EDS) and Raman spectroscopy analysis indicate the presence of silica in the skeletal elements of these fossils, suggesting that this taxon possessed a skeleton comprised of spicules. This is the first confirmation of siliceous skeletal elements in fossils of the family Vauxiidae, and it lends support to the hypothesis that some early demosponges possessed biomineralized siliceous skeletons, which were subsequently lost and replaced by spongin later in the evolutionary history of this lineage. The new materials provide critical insight into the phylogeny and evolution of biomineralization in the Demosopongiae.

Uranium in the Upper Cambrian black shale of Sweden

USGS Publications Warehouse

McKelvey, Vincent Ellis

1955-01-01

The Peltura zone of the Upper Cambrian black shales of Sweden contains about 0.02 percent uranium. Maximum amounts are present in rocks deposited in an embayment in the sea and in rocks in or closely adjacent to that part of the vertical sequence that contains maximum amounts of distillable oil, total organic matter, pyrite, and a black highly uraniferous kerogen called "kolm". Available data suggest that the precipitation of uranium is favored by a low redox potential and that the uranium in the shale matrix may be in fine-grained kolm.

The Role of “Leakage” of Tubular Fluid in Anuria Due to Mercury Poisoning*

PubMed Central

Bank, Norman; Mutz, Bertrand F.; Aynedjian, Hagop S.

1967-01-01

The role of “leakage” of tubular fluid in anuria produced by mercury poisoning was studied in rats by micropuncture techniques. After an initial brisk diuresis, almost all animals were completely anuric 24 hours after HgCl2 injection. Lissamine green injected intravenously in the early stage of anuria appeared in the beginning of the proximal tubule, but the color became progressively lighter as the dye traversed the proximal convolutions. The dye was barely visible in the terminal segments of the proximal tubule; it did not appear at all in the distal tubules. These observations suggest that the proximal epithelium had become abnormally permeable to Lissamine green. Tubular fluid to plasma inulin (TF/PIn) ratios and inulin clearance were measured in individual nephrons at three sites: early proximal tubule, late proximal tubule, and distal tubule. It was found that TF/PIn ratios were abnormally low in the late proximal and distal tubules. Inulin clearance was normal at the beginning of the proximal tubule but fell by more than 60% by the late proximal convolutions. Thus, the proximal tubule had also become permeable to inulin. We conclude from these observations that anuria in mercury poisoning can occur in the presence of a normal glomerular filtration rate. The absence of urine flow appears to be due to complete absorption of the filtrate through an excessively permeable tubular epithelium. The driving force affecting this fluid absorption is probably the colloid oncotic pressure of the peritubular capillary blood. Images PMID:6025476

Cambrian intermediate-mafic magmatism along the Laurentian margin: Evidence for flood basalt volcanism from well cuttings in the Southern Oklahoma Aulacogen (U.S.A.)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brueseke, Matthew E.; Hobbs, Jasper M.; Bulen, Casey L.; Mertzman, Stanley A.; Puckett, Robert E.; Walker, J. Douglas; Feldman, Josh

2016-09-01

The Southern Oklahoma Aulocogen (SOA) stretches from southern Oklahoma through the Texas panhandle and into Colorado and New Mexico, and contains mafic through silicic magmatism related to the opening of the Iapetus Ocean during the early Cambrian. Cambrian magmatic products are best exposed in the Wichita Mountains (Oklahoma), where they have been extensively studied. However, their ultimate derivation is still somewhat contentious and centers on two very different models: SOA magmatism has been suggested to occur via [1] continental rifting (with or without mantle plume emplacement) or [2] transform-fault related magmatism (e.g., leaky strike-slip faults). Within the SOA, the subsurface in and adjacent to the Arbuckle Mountains in southern Oklahoma contains thick sequences of mafic to intermediate lavas, intrusive bodies, and phreatomagmatic deposits interlayered with thick, extensive rhyolite lavas, thin localized tuffs, and lesser silicic intrusive bodies. These materials were first described in the Arbuckle Mountains region by a 1982 drill test (Hamilton Brothers Turner Falls well) and the best available age constraints from SOA Arbuckle Mountains eruptive products are 535 to 540 Ma. Well cuttings of the mafic through intermediate units were collected from that well and six others and samples from all but the Turner Falls and Morton wells are the focus of this study. Samples analyzed from the wells are dominantly subalkaline, tholeiitic, and range from basalt to andesite. Their overall bulk major and trace element chemistry, normative mineralogy, and Srsbnd Nd isotope ratios are similar to magmas erupted/emplaced in flood basalt provinces. When compared with intrusive mafic rocks that crop out in the Wichita Mountains, the SOA well cuttings are geochemically most similar to the Roosevelt Gabbros. New geochemical and isotope data presented in this study, when coupled with recent geophysical work in the SOA and the coeval relationship with rhyolites, indicates

Glomerular and Tubular Renal Function after Repeated Once-Daily Tobramycin Courses in Cystic Fibrosis Patients.

PubMed

Stehling, Florian; Büscher, Rainer; Grosse-Onnebrink, Jörg; Hoyer, Peter F; Mellies, Uwe

2017-01-01

Introduction . Antibiotic treatment regimens against Pseudomonas aeruginosa lung infection in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients often include aminoglycoside antibiotics that may cause chronic renal failure after repeated courses. Aminoaciduria is an early marker of acute aminoglycoside-induced renal tubular dysfunction. We hypothesized that urinary amino acid reabsorption is decreased after repeated once-daily tobramycin therapies. Methods . In this prospective cross-sectional study creatinine clearance was estimated by the Schwartz and the Cockcroft-Gault formula. Tubular amino acid reabsorption was determined by ion exchange chromatography in 46 patients with CF who received multiple tobramycin courses (6.3 ± 10.1 (1-57)) in a once-daily dosing regimen and 10 who did not. Results . Estimated creatinine clearance employing the Cockcroft-Gault was mildly reduced in 17/46 (37%) of the patients who received tobramycin and 5/10 (50%) of the patients who did not but in none using the Schwartz formula. No association with lifetime tobramycin courses was found. Tubular amino acid reabsorption was not influenced by the amount of once-daily tobramycin courses. Conclusion . Clinically not significant reduction of eCCL occurred in a minority of CF patients. However, chronic tubular dysfunction was not present in patients with CF repeatedly treated with tobramycin in the once-daily dosing scheme.

Tubular Epithelial NF-κB Activity Regulates Ischemic AKI

PubMed Central

Vigolo, Emilia; Hinze, Christian; Park, Joon-Keun; Roël, Giulietta; Balogh, András; Choi, Mira; Wübken, Anne; Cording, Jimmi; Blasig, Ingolf E.; Luft, Friedrich C.; Scheidereit, Claus; Schmidt-Ott, Kai M.; Schmidt-Ullrich, Ruth; Müller, Dominik N.

2016-01-01

NF-κB is a key regulator of innate and adaptive immunity and is implicated in the pathogenesis of AKI. The cell type–specific functions of NF-κB in the kidney are unknown; however, the pathway serves distinct functions in immune and tissue parenchymal cells. We analyzed tubular epithelial-specific NF-κB signaling in a mouse model of ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI)–induced AKI. NF-κB reporter activity and nuclear localization of phosphorylated NF-κB subunit p65 analyses in mice revealed that IRI induced widespread NF-κB activation in renal tubular epithelia and in interstitial cells that peaked 2–3 days after injury. To genetically antagonize tubular epithelial NF-κB activity, we generated mice expressing the human NF-κB super-repressor IκBαΔN in renal proximal, distal, and collecting duct epithelial cells. Compared with control mice, these mice exhibited improved renal function, reduced tubular apoptosis, and attenuated neutrophil and macrophage infiltration after IRI-induced AKI. Furthermore, tubular NF-κB–dependent gene expression profiles revealed temporally distinct functional gene clusters for apoptosis, chemotaxis, and morphogenesis. Primary proximal tubular cells isolated from IκBαΔN-expressing mice and exposed to hypoxia-mimetic agent cobalt chloride exhibited less apoptosis and expressed lower levels of chemokines than cells from control mice did. Our results indicate that postischemic NF-κB activation in renal tubular epithelia aggravates tubular injury and exacerbates a maladaptive inflammatory response. PMID:26823548

Loss of tubular creatinine secretion as the only sign of tubular proximal cell dysfunction in light chain proximal tubulopathy: A case report.

PubMed

Stehlé, Thomas; Vignon, Marguerite; Flamant, Martin; Figueres, Marie-Lucile; Rabant, Marion; Rodenas, Anita; Noël, Laure-Hélène; Arnulf, Bertrand; Vidal-Petiot, Emmanuelle

2016-06-01

Light chain proximal tubulopathy (LCPT) is a rare disease, characterized by cytoplasmic inclusions of light chain (usually kappa) immunoglobulins. Clinical presentation is usually a Fanconi syndrome. The proximal tubular dysfunction can be incomplete, and exceptional cases of LCPT without any tubular dysfunction have even been described. Here, we report a case of LCPT in which the only sign of proximal tubulopathy is the absence of secretion of creatinine, as assessed by the simultaneous measurement of renal clearance of creatinine and CrEDTA. The loss of tubular creatinine secretion as a sign of tubular proximal cell dysfunction ought to be identified in patients with light chain proximal tubulopathy as it leads to a clinically relevant underestimation of GFR by the creatinine-derived equations. The prevalence and prognostic significance of this particular proximal tubular damage in LCPT remain to be determined.

Oxygen-isotope trends and seawater temperature changes across the Late Cambrian Steptoean positive carbon-isotope excursion (SPICE event)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Elrick, M.; Rieboldt, S.; Saltzman, M.; McKay, R.M.

2011-01-01

The globally recognized Late Cambrian Steptoean positive C-isotope excursion (SPICE) is characterized by a 3???-5??? positive ??13C shift spanning <4 m.y. Existing hypotheses suggest that the SPICE represents a widespread ocean anoxic event leading to enhanced burial/preservation of organic matter (Corg) and pyrite. We analyzed ??18O values of apatitic inarticulate brachiopods from three Upper Cambrian successions across Laurentia to evaluate paleotemperatures during the SPICE. ??18O values range from ~12.5??? to 16.5???. Estimated seawater temperatures associated with the SPICE are unreasonably warm, suggesting that the brachiopod ??18O values were altered during early diagenesis. Despite this, all three localities show similar trends with respect to the SPICE ??13C curve, suggesting that the brachiopod apatite preserves a record of relative ??18O and temperature changes. The trends include relatively high ??18O values at the onset of the SPICE, decreasing and lowest values during the main event, and an increase in values at the end of the event. The higher ??18O values during the global extinction at the onset of the SPICE suggests seawater cooling and supports earlier hypotheses of upwelling of cool waters onto the shallow shelf. Decreasing and low ??18O values coincident with the rising limb of the SPICE support the hypothesis that seawater warming and associated reduced thermohaline circulation rates contributed to decreased dissolved O2 concentrations, which enhanced the preservation/burial of Corg causing the positive ??13C shift. ?? 2011 Geological Society of America.

Tentaculate Fossils from the Cambrian of Canada (British Columbia) and China (Yunnan) Interpreted as Primitive Deuterostomes

PubMed Central

Caron, Jean-Bernard; Conway Morris, Simon; Shu, Degan

2010-01-01

Molecular and morphological evidence unite the hemichordates and echinoderms as the Ambulacraria, but their earliest history remains almost entirely conjectural. This is on account of the morphological disparity of the ambulacrarians and a paucity of obvious stem-groups. We describe here a new taxon Herpetogaster collinsi gen. et sp. nov. from the Burgess Shale (Middle Cambrian) Lagerstätte. This soft-bodied vermiform animal has a pair of elongate dendritic oral tentacles, a flexible stolon with an attachment disc, and a re-curved trunk with at least 13 segments that is directed dextrally. A differentiated but un-looped gut is enclosed in a sac suspended by mesenteries. It consists of a short pharynx, a conspicuous lenticular stomach, followed by a narrow intestine sub-equal in length. This new taxon, together with the Lower Cambrian Phlogites and more intriguingly the hitherto enigmatic discoidal eldoniids (Cambrian-Devonian), form a distinctive clade (herein the cambroernids). Although one hypothesis of their relationships would look to the lophotrochozoans (specifically the entoprocts), we suggest that the evidence is more consistent with their being primitive deuterostomes, with specific comparisons being made to the pterobranch hemichordates and pre-radial echinoderms. On this basis some of the earliest ambulacrarians are interpreted as soft-bodied animals with a muscular stalk, and possessing prominent tentacles. PMID:20221405

Detrital zircon U-Pb geochronology of Cambrian to Triassic miogeoclinal and eugeoclinal strata of Sonora, Mexico

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gehrels, G.E.; Stewart, John H.

1998-01-01

One hundred and eighty two individual detrital zircon grains from Cambrian through Permian miogeoclinal strata, Ordovician eugeoclinal rocks, and Triassic post-orogenic sediments in northwestern Sonora have been analyzed. During Cambrian, Devonian, Permian, and Triassic time, most zircons accumulating along this part of the Cordilleran margin were shed from 1.40-1.45 and 1.62-1.78 Ga igneous rocks that are widespread in the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. Zircons with ages of approximately 1.11 Ga are common in Cambrian strata and were apparently shed from granite bodies near the sample site. The sources of 225-280 Ma zircons in our Triassic sample are more problematic, as few igneous rocks of these ages are recognized in northwestern Mexico. Such sources may be present but unrecognized, or the grains could have been derived from igneous rocks of the appropriate ages to the northwest in the Mojave Desert region, to the east in Chihuahua and Coahuila, or to the south in accreted(?) arc-type terranes. Because the zircon grains in our Cambrian and Devonian to Triassic samples could have accumulated in proximity to basement rocks near their present position or in the Death Valley region of southern California, our data do not support or refute the existence of the Mojave-Sonora megashear. Ordovician strata of both miogeoclinal and eugeoclinal affinity are dominated by >1.77 Ga detrital zircons, which are considerably older than most basement rocks in the region. Zircon grains in the miogeoclinal sample were apparently derived from the Peace River arch area of northwestern Canada and transported southward by longshore currents. The eugeoclinal grains may also have come from the Peace River arch region, with southward transport by either sedimentary or tectonic processes, or they may have been shed from off-shelf slivers of continents (perhaps Antarctica?) removed from the Cordilleran margin during Neoproterozoic rifting. It is also possible that the

Siliceous spicules in a vauxiid sponge (Demospongia) from the Kaili Biota(Cambrian Stage 5), Guizhou, South China

PubMed Central

Yang, X.-L.; Zhao, Y.-L.; Babcock, L. E.; Peng, J.

2017-01-01

Fossils of the sponge Angulosuspongia sinensis from calcareous mudstones of the middle and upper part of the Kaili Formation (Cambrian Stage 5) in the Jianhe area of Guizhou province, South China, exhibit an apparently reticulate pattern, characteristic of the Vauxiidae. Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectrometry (EDS) and Raman spectroscopy analysis indicate the presence of silica in the skeletal elements of these fossils, suggesting that this taxon possessed a skeleton comprised of spicules. This is the first confirmation of siliceous skeletal elements in fossils of the family Vauxiidae, and it lends support to the hypothesis that some early demosponges possessed biomineralized siliceous skeletons, which were subsequently lost and replaced by spongin later in the evolutionary history of this lineage. The new materials provide critical insight into the phylogeny and evolution of biomineralization in the Demosopongiae. PMID:28220860

Cambrian rivers and floodplains: the significance of microbial cementation, groundwater and aeolian sediment transport

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reesink, A. J. H.; Best, J.; Freiburg, J. T.; Nathan, W.

2016-12-01

Rivers that existed before land plants colonized the Earth are commonly considered to be unaffected by microbial activity on their floodplains, because the limited cementation produced by microbial activity is insufficient to stabilize the river banks. Although this assumption is likely correct, such emphasis on channel dynamics ignores the potential role of floodplain dynamics as an integral component of the river system. Detailed analysis of cores from the Cambrian Mount Simon Sandstone, Illinois, suggests that a significant proportion of the terrestrial sequence is composed of flat-bedded `crinkly' structures that provide evidence of cementation by soil crusts and microbial biofilms, and that promoted the adhesion of sediment to sticky surfaces. Wind ripples and local desert pavements were abundant. These findings highlight that sediment deposition on Cambrian floodplains was often dominated by wind in locations where the ground water table reached the surface, and was thus likely independent of sediment transport within the river channel. Erosion by wind would thus have been hindered by surface cementation and the formation of desert pavements. Such ground water control on deposition, and resistance to erosion by floodplain surface hardening, appear to have been the primary controls on Cambrian floodplain topography. Because floodplain topography poses a key control on channel and floodplain flow, these processes may have affected patterns of erosion and deposition, as well as reach-scale dynamics such as channel avulsions. The autonomous operation of wind-and-groundwater controlled floodplains makes pre-vegetated river systems more sensitive to climatic conditions such as precipitation and evaporation, and strikingly different from those that occurred after the development of land plants.

Stratigraphic framework of Cambrian and Ordovician rocks in the central Appalachian Basin from Medina County, Ohio, through southwestern and south-central Pennsylvania to Hampshire County, West Virginia

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ryder, Robert T.; Harris, Anita G.; Repetski, John E.; revised and digitized by Crangle, Robert D.

2003-01-01

are identified by the following descriptive names: (1) sandstone, shale, limestone, and dolomite unit, (2) dolomite and sandstone unit, (3) limestone and black shale unit, and (4) shale and sandstone unit. Each of these units and their associated subunits thicken from west to east across the restored section to a maximum near the depositional axis of the Rome trough and then thin eastward to the end of the section. The sandstone, shale, limestone, and dolomite unit is largely confined to the asymmetric graben that marks the initial phase of the Rome trough. This unit is Early and Middle Cambrian in age and consists, in ascending order, of a basal sandstone unit (undrilled but probably present), the Tomstown Dolomite (undrilled but probably present), the Waynesboro Formation, and the Pleasant Hill Limestone and its equivalent lower one-third of the Elbrook Formation at the eastern end of the section. The dolomite and sandstone unit forms the core of the Cambrian and Ordovician sequence. In the Rome trough and on the adjoining South-central Pennsylvania arch, this unit consists, in ascending order, of the Middle and Upper Cambrian Warrior Formation and the equivalent upper two-thirds of the Elbrook Formation at the eastern end of the section, the Upper Cambrian Gatesburg Formation, and the Lower Ordovician and Middle Ordovician (Whiterockian and Chazyan) Beekmantown Group. West of the Ohio-West Virginia hinge zone, the dolomite and sandstone unit consists, in ascending order, of the Conasauga Formation of Janssens (1973), the Krysik sandstone of driller's usage, the B zone of Calvert (1964), the Knox Dolomite and the associated Rose Run Sandstone Member, and the Wells Creek Formation. The widespread Knox unconformity is located at the base of the Wells Creek Formation and at or near the top of the adjoining Beekmantown Group, except near the depositional axis of the Rome trough, where the unconformity seems to be absent. The limestone and black shale unit i

Le volcanisme cambrien du Maroc central : implications géodynamiquesThe Central Morocco Cambrian volcanism: geodynamic implications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ouali, Houssa; Briand, Bernard; Bouchardon, Jean-Luc; Capiez, Paul

2003-05-01

In southeastern Central Morocco, the Bou-Acila volcanic complex is considered of Cambrian age. In spite of low-grade metamorphic effect, initial volcanic texture and mineralogy can be recognized and volcanic rocks are dominated by dolerites and porphyric dolerites. The initial mineralogy is composed of plagioclases, pyroxenes and dark minerals. A secondary mineral assemblage is composed of albite, epidote, chlorite and calcite. According to their immobile elements compositions, the southeastern central Morocco metavolcanites are of within-plate continental tholeiites. This volcanism and those recognized in many other areas in Morocco confirm a Cambrian extensive episode within the Gondwana supercontinent. To cite this article: H. Ouali et al., C. R. Geoscience 335 (2003).To cite this article: H. Ouali et al., C. R. Geoscience 335 (2003).

High-Precision U-Pb Geochronology and Correlation: An example Using the Neoproterozic-Cambrian Transition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bowring, S. A.; Grotzinger, J. P.; Amthor, J.; Martin, M. E.

2001-05-01

The precise, global correlation of Precambrian and Paleozoic sedimentary rocks can be achieved using temporally calibrated chemostratigraphic records. This approach is essential for determining rates and causes of environmental and faunal change, including mass extinctions. For example, The Neoproterozoic is marked by major environmental change, including periods of global glaciation, large fluctuations in the sequestration of carbon and major tectonic reorganization followed by the explosive diversification of animals in the earliest Cambrian. The extreme climatic change associated with these glaciations have been implicated as a possible trigger for the Cambrian explosion. The recognition of thin zircon-bearing air-fall ash in Neoproterozoic and Cambrian rocks has allowed the establishment of a high-precision temporal framework for animal evolution and is helping to untangle the history of glaciations. In some cases analytical uncertainties translate to age uncertainties of less than 1 Ma and when integrated with chemostratigraphy, the potential for global correlations at even higher resolution. Progress in the global correlation of Neoproterozoic strata has been achieved through the use of C and Sr isotope chemostratigraphy although it has been hampered by a lack of precise geochronological and faunal control. For example, the period from ca 800-580 Ma is characterized by at least two and perhaps as many as four glacial events that are interpreted by many to be global glaciations on a "Snowball Earth". A lack of precise chronological constraints on the number and duration of glaciations, multiple large excursions in the carbon isotopic record, and an absence of detailed biostratigraphy have complicated global correlation and hindered our understanding of this important period of Earth history. However, the ongoing integration of chemostratigraphic and geochronological data are improving temporal resolution and detailed correlations. These data are critical for

Mitogenomics and phylogenomics reveal priapulid worms as extant models of the ancestral Ecdysozoan.

PubMed

Webster, Bonnie L; Copley, Richard R; Jenner, Ronald A; Mackenzie-Dodds, Jacqueline A; Bourlat, Sarah J; Rota-Stabelli, Omar; Littlewood, D T J; Telford, Maximilian J

2006-01-01

Research into arthropod evolution is hampered by the derived nature and rapid evolution of the best-studied out-group: the nematodes. We consider priapulids as an alternative out-group. Priapulids are a small phylum of bottom-dwelling marine worms; their tubular body with spiny proboscis or introvert has changed little over 520 million years and recognizable priapulids are common among exceptionally preserved Cambrian fossils. Using the complete mitochondrial genome and 42 nuclear genes from Priapulus caudatus, we show that priapulids are slowly evolving ecdysozoans; almost all these priapulid genes have evolved more slowly than nematode orthologs and the priapulid mitochondrial gene order may be unchanged since the Cambrian. Considering their primitive bodyplan and embryology and the great conservation of both nuclear and mitochondrial genomes, priapulids may deserve the popular epithet of "living fossil." Their study is likely to yield significant new insights into the early evolution of the Ecdysozoa and the origins of the arthropods and their kin as well as aiding inference of the morphology of ancestral Ecdysozoa and Bilateria and their genomes.

Provenance of north Gondwana Cambrian-Ordovician sandstone: U-Pb SHRIMP dating of detrital zircons from Israel and Jordan

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kolodner, K.; Avigad, D.; McWilliams, M.; Wooden, J.L.; Weissbrod, T.; Feinstein, S.

2006-01-01

A vast sequence of quartz-rich sandstone was deposited over North Africa and Arabia during Early Palaeozoic times, in the aftermath of Neoproterozoic Pan-African orogeny and the amalgamation of Gondwana. This rock sequence forms a relatively thin sheet (1-3 km thick) that was transported over a very gentle slope and deposited over a huge area. The sense of transport indicates unroofing of Gondwana terranes but the exact provenance of the siliciclastic deposit remains unclear. Detrital zircons from Cambrian arkoses that immediately overlie the Neoproterozoic Arabian-Nubian Shield in Israel and Jordan yielded Neoproterozoic U-Pb ages (900-530 Ma), suggesting derivation from a proximal source such as the Arabian-Nubian Shield. A minor fraction of earliest Neoproterozoic and older age zircons was also detected. Upward in the section, the proportion of old zircons increases and reaches a maximum (40%) in the Ordovician strata of Jordan. The major earliest Neoproterozoic and older age groups detected are 0.95-1.1, 1.8-1.9 and 2.65-2.7 Ga, among which the 0.95-1.1 Ga group is ubiquitous and makes up as much as 27% in the Ordovician of Jordan, indicating it is a prominent component of the detrital zircon age spectra of northeast Gondwana. The pattern of zircon ages obtained in the present work reflects progressive blanketing of the northern Arabian-Nubian Shield by Cambrian-Ordovician sediments and an increasing contribution from a more distal source, possibly south of the Arabian-Nubian Shield. The significant changes in the zircon age signal reflect many hundreds of kilometres of southward migration of the provenance. ?? 2006 Cambridge University Press.

Early rifting deposition: examples from carbonate sequences of Sardinia (Cambrian) and Tuscany (Triassic-Jurassic), Italy: an analogous tectono-sedimentary and climatic context

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

Cocozza, T.; Gandin, A.

Lower Cambrian Ceroide Limestone (Sardinia) and Lower Jurassic Massiccio Limestone (Tuscany) belong to sequences deposited in analogous tectono-sedimentary context: the former linked to the Caledonian Sardic Phase, the latter to the Alpine Orogeny. Both units consist of massive pure limestone characterized by marginal and lagoonal sequences repeatedly interfingering in the same geological structure. This distribution indicates a morphology of the platforms composed of banks (marginal facies) and shallow basins (lagoonal facies) comparable with a Bahamian complex. Dolomitization affects patchily the massive limestone bodies, and karstic features, breccias, and sedimentary dikes occur at their upper boundary. Both units overlie early dolomitemore » and evaporites (sabkha facies) containing siliciclastic intercalations in their lower and/or upper part and are unconformably covered by open-shelf red (hematitic), nodular limestone Ammonitico Rosso facies). The sedimentary evolution of the two sequences appears to have been controlled by synsedimentary tectonics whose major effects are the end of the terrigenous input, the bank-and-basin morphology of the platform, the irregular distribution of the dolomitization, and the nodular fabric of the overlying facies. The end of the Bahamian-type system is marked by the karstification of the emerged blocks and is followed by their differential sinking and burial under red-nodular facies. From a geodynamic viewpoint, sequences composed of Bahamian-like platform carbonates followed by Ammonitico Rosso facies imply deposition along continental margins subjected to block-faulting during an extensional regime connected with the beginning of continental rifting. Moreover, the variation from sabkha to Bahamian conditions suggests the drifting of the continent from arid to humid, tropical areas.« less

Fossil embryos from the Middle and Late Cambrian period of Hunan, south China.

PubMed

Dong, Xi-Ping; Donoghue, Philip C J; Cheng, Hong; Liu, Jian-Bo

2004-01-15

Comparative embryology is integral to uncovering the pattern and process of metazoan phylogeny, but it relies on the assumption that life histories of living taxa are representative of their antecedents. Fossil embryos provide a crucial test of this assumption and, potentially, insight into the evolution of development, but because discoveries so far lack phylogenetic constraint, their significance is moot. Here we describe a collection of embryos from the Middle and Late Cambrian period (500 million years ago) of Hunan, south China, that preserves stages of development from cleavage to the pre-hatching embryo of a direct-developing animal comparable to living Scalidophora (phyla Priapulida, Kinorhyncha, Loricifera). The latest-stage embryos show affinity to the Lower Cambrian embryo Markuelia, whose life-history strategy contrasts both with the primitive condition inferred for metazoan phyla and with many proposed hypotheses of affinity, all of which prescribe indirect development. Phylogenetic tests based on these embryological data suggest a stem Scalidophora affinity. These discoveries corroborate, rather than contradict, the predictions of comparative embryology, providing direct historical support for the view that the life-history strategies of living taxa are representative of their stem lineages.

Design of a tubular skylight system

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

Chao, B.L.

1996-10-01

Since its introduction to the US market in 1991, tubular skylight provides a solution to the problem of lighting up dark corners in a house. Over the years, design of similar products has emphasized on quantity alone and attention to a range of other equally important issues: efficient collecting system, selection of higher specular reflectance material, seals, distribution and quality of light, was not noted. In this paper, the fundamental design concept of an efficient tubular skylight and the possibility of collimating diffuse light is reviewed. The importance of specular reflectance of the tube material on the performance of tubularmore » skylight is demonstrated. Visual appearance (quality) of transmitted light down the tube is related in part to the yellowness index of various materials. Discussion of adequacy of current building and energy code requirements on tubular skylights is briefly touched on and energy simulation results based on a numerical code are presented.« less

Albumin-induced apoptosis of tubular cells is modulated by BASP1

PubMed Central

Sanchez-Niño, M D; Fernandez-Fernandez, B; Perez-Gomez, M V; Poveda, J; Sanz, A B; Cannata-Ortiz, P; Ruiz-Ortega, M; Egido, J; Selgas, R; Ortiz, A

2015-01-01

Albuminuria promotes tubular injury and cell death, and is associated with faster progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD) to end-stage renal disease. However, the molecular mechanisms regulating tubular cell death in response to albuminuria are not fully understood. Brain abundant signal protein 1 (BASP1) was recently shown to mediate glucose-induced apoptosis in tubular cells. We have studied the role of BASP1 in albumin-induced tubular cell death. BASP1 expression was studied in experimental puromycin aminonucleoside-induced nephrotic syndrome in rats and in human nephrotic syndrome. The role of BASP1 in albumin-induced apoptosis was studied in cultured human HK2 proximal tubular epithelial cells. Puromycin aminonucleoside induced proteinuria and increased total kidney BASP1 mRNA and protein expression. Immunohistochemistry localized the increased BASP1 to tubular cells. BASP1 expression colocalized with deoxynucleotidyl-transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling staining for apoptotic cells. Increased tubular BASP1 expression was observed in human proteinuric nephropathy by immunohistochemistry, providing evidence for potential clinical relevance. In cultured tubular cells, albumin induced apoptosis and increased BASP1 mRNA and protein expression at 6–48 h. Confocal microscopy localized the increased BASP1 expression in albumin-treated cells mainly to the perinuclear area. A peripheral location near the cell membrane was more conspicuous in albumin-treated apoptotic cells, where it colocalized with actin. Inhibition of BASP1 expression by a BASP1 siRNA protected from albumin-induced apoptosis. In conclusion, albumin-induced apoptosis in tubular cells is BASP1-dependent. This information may be used to design novel therapeutic approaches to slow CKD progression based on protection of tubular cells from the adverse consequences of albuminuria. PMID:25675304

75 FR 28058 - Certain Oil Country Tubular Goods From China; Determination

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-05-19

... INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION [Investigation No. 731-TA-1159 (Final)] Certain Oil Country Tubular... threatened with material injury by reason of imports from China of certain oil country tubular goods (``OCTG... are contained in USITC Publication 4152 (May 2010), entitled Certain Oil Country Tubular Goods From...

Inner Surface Chirality of Single-Handed Twisted Carbonaceous Tubular Nanoribbons.

PubMed

Liu, Dan; Li, Baozong; Guo, Yongmin; Li, Yi; Yang, Yonggang

2015-11-01

Single-handed twisted 4,4'-biphenylene-bridged polybissilsesquioxane tubular nanoribbons and single-layered nanoribbons were prepared by tuning the water/ethanol volume ratio in the reaction mixture at pH = 11.6 through a supramolecular templating approach. The single-layered nanoribbons were formed by shrinking tubular nanoribbons after the removal of the templates. In addition, solvent-induced handedness inversion was achieved. The handedness of the polybissilsesquioxanes could be controlled by changing the ethanol/water volume ratio in the reaction mixture. After carbonization at 900 °C for 4.0 h and removal of silica, single-handed twisted carbonaceous tubular nanoribbons and single-layered nanoribbons with micropores in the walls were obtained. X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy analyses indicated that the carbon is predominantly amorphous. The circular dichroism spectra show that the twisted tubular nanoribbons exhibit optical activity, while the twisted single-layered nanoribbons do not. The results shown here indicate that chirality is transferred from the organic self-assemblies to the inner surfaces of the 4,4'-biphenylene-bridged polybissilsesquioxane tubular nanoribbons and subsequently to those of the carbonaceous tubular nanoribbons. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Tubular duplication of the oesophagus presenting with dysphagia.

PubMed

Saha, A K; Kundu, A K

2014-06-01

Duplications of the alimentary tract are rare congenital malformations, with the ileum being the most commonly affected site, followed by the oesophagus. Among oesophageal duplications, cystic duplication is the most common and the tubular variety, the rarest. Herein, we report a rare case of tubular oesophageal duplication, complicated by adenosquamous carcinoma at the lower end of the oesophagus, in a 32-year-old man who presented with progressive dysphagia. Although proton pump inhibitors may relieve dysphagia, oesophagectomy and gastric interpositioning should be the first-line treatment for patients with tubular oesophageal duplication, in order to reduce the risk of malignant transformation at the lower end of the oesophagus.

Body Size Evolution in Conodonts from the Cambrian through the Triassic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schaal, E. K.; Morgan, D. J.; Payne, J.

2013-12-01

The size of an organism exercises tremendous control over its physiology, life history, and ecology, yet the factors that influence body size evolution remain poorly understood. One major limitation is the lack of appropriate datasets spanning long intervals of evolutionary time. Here, we document size trends in conodonts (tooth-like microfossils from marine chordates) because they evolved rapidly and are known to change size during intervals of environmental change. By measuring photographs from the Catalogue of Conodonts (Ziegler 1982), we compiled a database of conodont P1 element measurements for 575 species and subspecies from the Cambrian through Triassic periods. Because tooth size correlates with body size in conodont animals and their extant relatives, conodont element length can serve as a proxy for the size of the conodont animal. We find that mean and maximum size across species increased during the early Paleozoic, peaked during the Devonian-Mississippian, and then generally decreased until conodonts went extinct at the end of the Triassic. We used regression analyses to compare conodont mean size trends to potential environmental predictors, such as changing atmospheric pO2, atmospheric pCO2, and sea level. Conodont size exhibited poor correlation with these environmental factors, suggesting that conodont evolution may have been more strongly influenced by other environmental covariates or ecological variables such as predation and competition.

Kidney specific protein-positive cells derived from embryonic stem cells reproduce tubular structures in vitro and differentiate into renal tubular cells.

PubMed

Morizane, Ryuji; Monkawa, Toshiaki; Fujii, Shizuka; Yamaguchi, Shintaro; Homma, Koichiro; Matsuzaki, Yumi; Okano, Hideyuki; Itoh, Hiroshi

2014-01-01

Embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells have the ability to differentiate into various organs and tissues, and are regarded as new tools for the elucidation of disease mechanisms as well as sources for regenerative therapies. However, a method of inducing organ-specific cells from pluripotent stem cells is urgently needed. Although many scientists have been developing methods to induce various organ-specific cells from pluripotent stem cells, renal lineage cells have yet to be induced in vitro because of the complexity of kidney structures and the diversity of kidney-component cells. Here, we describe a method of inducing renal tubular cells from mouse embryonic stem cells via the cell purification of kidney specific protein (KSP)-positive cells using an anti-KSP antibody. The global gene expression profiles of KSP-positive cells derived from ES cells exhibited characteristics similar to those of cells in the developing kidney, and KSP-positive cells had the capacity to form tubular structures resembling renal tubular cells when grown in a 3D culture in Matrigel. Moreover, our results indicated that KSP-positive cells acquired the characteristics of each segment of renal tubular cells through tubular formation when stimulated with Wnt4. This method is an important step toward kidney disease research using pluripotent stem cells, and the development of kidney regeneration therapies.

Neural control of renal tubular sodium reabsorption of the dog.

PubMed

DiBona, G F

1978-04-01

The evidence supporting a role for direct neurogenic control of renal tubular sodium reabsorption is reviewed. Electron microscopic and fluorescence histochemical studies demonstrate adrenergic nerve terminals in direct contact with basement membranes of mammalian renal tubular epithelial cells. Low level direct or baroreceptor reflex stimulation of renal sympathetic nerves produces an increase in renal tubular sodium reabsorption without alterations in glomerular filtration rate, renal blood flow, or intrarenal distribution of blood flow. The antinatriuresis is prevented by prior treatment of the kidney with guanethidine or phenoxybenzamine. Possible indirect mediation of the antinatriuresis by other humoral agents known to be released from the kidney upon renal nerve stimulation (angiotensin II, prostaglandin) was excluded by experiments with appropriate blocking agents. Reflex diminutions in renal nerve activity (left atrial distention, stellate ganglion stimulation) produce a decrease in renal tubular sodium reabsorption independent of glomerular filtration rate or renal blood flow. The anatomically described adrenergic innervation of the renal tubules participates in the direct regulation of renal tubular sodium reabsorption.

Distal renal tubular acidosis and hepatic lipidosis in a cat.

PubMed

Brown, S A; Spyridakis, L K; Crowell, W A

1986-11-15

Clinical and laboratory evidence of hepatic failure was found in a chronically anorectic cat. Simultaneous blood and urine pH determinations established a diagnosis of distal renal tubular acidosis. The cat did not respond to treatment. Necropsy revealed distal tubular nephrosis and hepatic lipidosis. The finding of distal renal tubular acidosis in a cat with hepatic lipidosis emphasizes the importance of complete evaluation of acid-base disorders in patients.

Proterozoic structure, cambrian rifting, and younger faulting as revealed by a regional seismic reflection network in the Southern Illinois Basin

USGS Publications Warehouse

Potter, C.J.; Drahovzal, James A.; Sargent, M.L.; McBride, J.H.

1997-01-01

Four high-quality seismic reflection profiles through the southern Illinois Basin, totaling 245 km in length, provide an excellent regional subsurface stratigraphic and structural framework for evaluation of seismic risk, hydrocarbon occurrence, and other regional geologic studies. These data provide extensive subsurface information on the geometry of the intersection of the Cambrian Reelfoot and Rough Creek rifts, on extensive Proterozoic reflection sequences, and on structures (including the Fluorspar Area Fault Complex and Hicks Dome) that underlie a transitional area between the well-defined New Madrid seismic zone (to the southwest) and a more diffuse area of seismicity in the southern Illinois Basin. Our principal interpretations from these data are listed here in order of geologic age, from oldest to youngest: 1. Prominent Proterozoic layering, possibly equivalent to Proterozoic (???1 Ga) Middle Run Formation clastic strata and underlying (1.3-1.5 Ga) volcanic rocks of the East Continent rift basin, has been strongly deformed, probably as part of the Grenville foreland fold and thrust belt. 2. A well-defined angular unconformity is seen in many places between Proterozoic and Cambrian strata; a post-Grenville Proterozoic sequence is also apparent locally, directly beneath the base of the Cambrian. 3. We infer a major reversal in Cambrian rift polarity (accommodation zone) in the Rough Creek Graben in western Kentucky. 4. Seismic facies analysis suggests the presence of basin-floor fan complexes at and near the base of the Cambrian interval and within parts of a Proterozoic post-Grenville sequence in several parts of the Rough Creek Graben. 5. There is an abrupt pinchout of the Mount Simon Sandstone against crystalline basement beneath the Dale Dome (near the Texaco no. 1 Cuppy well, Hamilton County) in southeastern Illinois, and a more gradual Mount Simon pinchout to the southeast. 6. Where crossed by the seismic reflection line in southeast Illinois, some

Tubular collagen scaffolds with radial elasticity for hollow organ regeneration.

PubMed

Versteegden, Luuk R; van Kampen, Kenny A; Janke, Heinz P; Tiemessen, Dorien M; Hoogenkamp, Henk R; Hafmans, Theo G; Roozen, Edwin A; Lomme, Roger M; van Goor, Harry; Oosterwijk, Egbert; Feitz, Wout F; van Kuppevelt, Toin H; Daamen, Willeke F

2017-04-01

Tubular collagen scaffolds have been used for the repair of damaged hollow organs in regenerative medicine, but they generally lack the ability to reversibly expand in radial direction, a physiological characteristic seen in many native tubular organs. In this study, tubular collagen scaffolds were prepared that display a shape recovery effect and therefore exhibit radial elasticity. Scaffolds were constructed by compression of fibrillar collagen around a star-shaped mandrel, mimicking folds in a lumen, a typical characteristic of empty tubular hollow organs, such as ureter or urethra. Shape recovery effect was introduced by in situ fixation using a star-shaped mandrel, 3D-printed clamps and cytocompatible carbodiimide crosslinking. Prepared scaffolds expanded upon increase of luminal pressure and closed to the star-shaped conformation after removal of pressure. In this study, we applied this method to construct a scaffold mimicking the dynamics of human urethra. Radial expansion and closure of the scaffold could be iteratively performed for at least 1000 cycles, burst pressure being 132±22mmHg. Scaffolds were seeded with human epithelial cells and cultured in a bioreactor under dynamic conditions mimicking urination (pulse flow of 21s every 2h). Cells adhered and formed a closed luminal layer that resisted flow conditions. In conclusion, a new type of a tubular collagen scaffold has been constructed with radial elastic-like characteristics based on the shape of the scaffold, and enabling the scaffold to reversibly expand upon increase in luminal pressure. These scaffolds may be useful for regenerative medicine of tubular organs. In this paper, a new type I collagen-based tubular scaffold is presented that possesses intrinsic radial elasticity. This characteristic is key to the functioning of a number of tubular organs including blood vessels and organs of the gastrointestinal and urogenital tract. The scaffold was given a star-shaped lumen by physical compression

Controls on Gut Phosphatisation: The Trilobites from the Weeks Formation Lagerstätte (Cambrian; Utah)

PubMed Central

Lerosey-Aubril, Rudy; Hegna, Thomas A.; Kier, Carlo; Bonino, Enrico; Habersetzer, Jörg; Carré, Matthieu

2012-01-01

Despite being internal organs, digestive structures are frequently preserved in Cambrian Lagerstätten. However, the reasons for their fossilisation and their biological implications remain to be thoroughly explored. This is particularly true with arthropods – typically the most diverse fossilised organisms in Cambrian ecosystems – where digestive structures represent an as-yet underexploited alternative to appendage morphology for inferences on their biology. Here we describe the phosphatised digestive structures of three trilobite species from the Cambrian Weeks Formation Lagerstätte (Utah). Their exquisite, three-dimensional preservation reveals unique details on trilobite internal anatomy, such as the position of the mouth and the absence of a differentiated crop. In addition, the presence of paired pygidial organs of an unknown function is reported for the first time. This exceptional material enables exploration of the relationships between gut phosphatisation and the biology of organisms. Indeed, soft-tissue preservation is unusual in these fossils as it is restricted to the digestive structures, which indicates that the gut played a central role in its own phosphatisation. We hypothesize that the gut provided a microenvironment where special conditions could develop and harboured a source of phosphorus. The fact that gut phosphatization has almost exclusively been observed in arthropods could be explained by their uncommon ability to store ions (including phosphorous) in their digestive tissues. However, in some specimens from the Weeks Formation, the phosphatisation extends to the entire digestive system, suggesting that trilobites might have had some biological particularities not observed in modern arthropods. We speculate that one of them might have been an increased capacity for ion storage in the gut tissues, related to the moulting of their heavily-mineralised carapace. PMID:22431989

The oldest known priapulid-like scalidophoran animal and its implications for the early evolution of cycloneuralians and ecdysozoans.

PubMed

Liu, Yunhuan; Xiao, Shuhai; Shao, Tiequan; Broce, Jesse; Zhang, Huaqiao

2014-05-01

Morphological phylogenetic analyses suggest that scalidophorans (priapulids, loriciferans, and kinorhynchs) and nematoids (nematodes and nematomorphs) form the ecdysozoan clade Cycloneuralia, which is a sister group to panarthropods. It has been proposed that extant priapulids and Cambrian priapulid-like scalidophorans, because of their conserved evolution, have the potential to illuminate the ancestral morphology, ecology, and developmental biology of highly derived ecdysozoans such as nematods and arthropods. As such, Cambrian fossils, particularly Markuelia and possibly olivooids, can inform the early evolution of scalidophorans, cycloneuralians, and ecdysozoans. However, the scalidophoran Markuelia is known exclusively as embryo fossils, and the olivooids have been alternatively interpreted as cnidarians or cycloneuralians. Here, we describe a post-embryonic scalidophoran fossil Eopriapulites sphinx new genus and species, which represents the oldest known scalidophoran, from the early Cambrian Period (∼535 Ma) in South China. E. sphinx is similar to modern scalidophorans in having an introvert armed with hollow scalids, a collar with coronal scalids, and a pharynx with pharyngeal teeth, but its scalids and pharyngeal teeth are arranged in a hexaradial pattern. Phylogenetically resolved as a stem-group scalidophoran, E. sphinx shares a hexaradial pattern with the hexaradial arrangement of certain anatomical structures in kinorhynchs, loriciferans, nematoids, and Cambrian fossils such as Eolympia pediculata, which could also be a scalidophoran. Thus, the bodyplan of ancestral cycloneuralians may have had a component of hexaradial symmetry (i.e., some but not necessarily all anatomical parts are hexaradially arranged). If panarthropods are nested within paraphyletic cycloneuralians, as several molecular phylogenetic analyses suggest, the ancestral ecdysozoans may have been a legless worm possibly with a component of hexaradial symmetry. © 2014 Wiley

MDM2 prevents spontaneous tubular epithelial cell death and acute kidney injury

PubMed Central

Thomasova, Dana; Ebrahim, Martrez; Fleckinger, Kristina; Li, Moying; Molnar, Jakob; Popper, Bastian; Liapis, Helen; Kotb, Ahmed M; Siegerist, Florian; Endlich, Nicole; Anders, Hans-Joachim

2016-01-01

Murine double minute-2 (MDM2) is an E3-ubiquitin ligase and the main negative regulator of tumor suppressor gene p53. MDM2 has also a non-redundant function as a modulator of NF-kB signaling. As such it promotes proliferation and inflammation. MDM2 is highly expressed in the unchallenged tubular epithelial cells and we hypothesized that MDM2 is necessary for their survival and homeostasis. MDM2 knockdown by siRNA or by genetic depletion resulted in demise of tubular cells in vitro. This phenotype was completely rescued by concomitant knockdown of p53, thus suggesting p53 dependency. In vivo experiments in the zebrafish model demonstrated that the tubulus cells of the larvae undergo cell death after the knockdown of mdm2. Doxycycline-induced deletion of MDM2 in tubular cell-specific MDM2-knockout mice Pax8rtTa-cre; MDM2f/f caused acute kidney injury with increased plasma creatinine and blood urea nitrogen and sharp decline of glomerular filtration rate. Histological analysis showed massive swelling of renal tubular cells and later their loss and extensive tubular dilation, markedly in proximal tubules. Ultrastructural changes of tubular epithelial cells included swelling of the cytoplasm and mitochondria with the loss of cristae and their transformation in the vacuoles. The pathological phenotype of the tubular cell-specific MDM2-knockout mouse model was completely rescued by co-deletion of p53. Tubular epithelium compensates only partially for the cell loss caused by MDM2 depletion by proliferation of surviving tubular cells, with incomplete MDM2 deletion, but rather mesenchymal healing occurs. We conclude that MDM2 is a non-redundant survival factor for proximal tubular cells by protecting them from spontaneous p53 overexpression-related cell death. PMID:27882940

Intra-tubular hydrodynamic forces influence tubulo-interstitial fibrosis in the kidney

PubMed Central

Rohatgi, Rajeev; Flores, Daniel

2010-01-01

Purpose of review Renal epithelial cells respond to mechanical stimuli with immediate transduction events (e.g., activation of ion channels), intermediate biological responses (e.g., changes in gene expression), and long term cellular adaptation (e.g., protein expression). Progressive renal disease is characterized by disturbed glomerular hydrodynamics that contributes to glomerulosclerosis, but, how intra-tubular biomechanical forces contribute to tubulo-interstital inflammation and fibrosis is poorly understood. Recent findings In vivo and in vitro models of obstructive uropathy demonstrate that tubular stretch induces robust expression of transforming growth factor β-1 (TGFβ-1), activation of tubular apoptosis, and induction of NF-κB signaling which contribute to the inflammatory and fibrotic milieu. Non-obstructive structural kidney diseases associated with nephron loss follow a course characterized by compensatory increases of single nephron glomerular filtration rate and tubular flow rate. Resulting increases in tubular fluid shear stress (FSS) reduce tissue-plasminogen activator and urokinase enzymatic activity which diminishes breakdown of extracellular matrix. In models of high dietary Na intake, which increase tubular flow, urinary TGFβ-1 concentrations and renal mitogen activated protein kinase activity are increased. Summary In conclusion, intra-tubular biomechanical forces, stretch and FSS, generate changes in intracellular signaling and gene expression that contribute to the pathobiology of obstructive, and non-obstructive kidney disease. PMID:19851105

New methods for the geometrical analysis of tubular organs.

PubMed

Grélard, Florent; Baldacci, Fabien; Vialard, Anne; Domenger, Jean-Philippe

2017-12-01

This paper presents new methods to study the shape of tubular organs. Determining precise cross-sections is of major importance to perform geometrical measurements, such as diameter, wall-thickness estimation or area measurement. Our first contribution is a robust method to estimate orthogonal planes based on the Voronoi Covariance Measure. Our method is not relying on a curve-skeleton computation beforehand. This means our orthogonal plane estimator can be used either on the skeleton or on the volume. Another important step towards tubular organ characterization is achieved through curve-skeletonization, as skeletons allow to compare two tubular organs, and to perform virtual endoscopy. Our second contribution is dedicated to correcting common defects of the skeleton by new pruning and recentering methods. Finally, we propose a new method for curve-skeleton extraction. Various results are shown on different types of segmented tubular organs, such as neurons, airway-tree and blood vessels. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Nonlinear Analysis of Bonded Composite Tubular Lap Joints

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Oterkus, E.; Madenci, E.; Smeltzer, S. S., III; Ambur, D. R.

2005-01-01

The present study describes a semi-analytical solution method for predicting the geometrically nonlinear response of a bonded composite tubular single-lap joint subjected to general loading conditions. The transverse shear and normal stresses in the adhesive as well as membrane stress resultants and bending moments in the adherends are determined using this method. The method utilizes the principle of virtual work in conjunction with nonlinear thin-shell theory to model the adherends and a cylindrical shear lag model to represent the kinematics of the thin adhesive layer between the adherends. The kinematic boundary conditions are imposed by employing the Lagrange multiplier method. In the solution procedure, the displacement components for the tubular joint are approximated in terms of non-periodic and periodic B-Spline functions in the longitudinal and circumferential directions, respectively. The approach presented herein represents a rapid-solution alternative to the finite element method. The solution method was validated by comparison against a previously considered tubular single-lap joint. The steep variation of both peeling and shearing stresses near the adhesive edges was successfully captured. The applicability of the present method was also demonstrated by considering tubular bonded lap-joints subjected to pure bending and torsion.

Reactive oxygen species may play an essential role in driving biological evolution: The Cambrian Explosion as an example.

PubMed

Yang, Dong; Guo, Xuejun; Xie, Tian; Luo, Xiaoyan

2018-01-01

The Cambrian Explosion is one of the most significant events in the history of life; essentially all easily fossilizable animal body plans first evolved during this event. Although many theories have been proposed to explain this event, its cause remains unresolved. Here, we propose that the elevated level of oxygen, in combination with the increased mobility and food intake of metazoans, led to increased cellular levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which drove evolution by enhancing mutation rates and providing new regulatory mechanisms. Our hypothesis may provide a unified explanation for the Cambrian Explosion as it incorporates both environmental and developmental factors and is also consistent with ecological explanations for animal radiation. Future studies should focus on testing this hypothesis, and may lead to important insights into evolution. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Vibration analysis and sound field characteristics of a tubular ultrasonic radiator.

PubMed

Liang, Zhaofeng; Zhou, Guangping; Zhang, Yihui; Li, Zhengzhong; Lin, Shuyu

2006-12-01

A sort of tubular ultrasonic radiator used in ultrasonic liquid processing is studied. The frequency equation of the tubular radiator is derived, and its radiated sound field in cylindrical reactor is calculated using finite element method and recorded by means of aluminum foil erosion. The results indicate that sound field of tubular ultrasonic radiator in cylindrical reactor appears standing waves along both its radial direction and axial direction, and amplitudes of standing waves decrease gradually along its radial direction, and the numbers of standing waves along its axial direction are equal to the axial wave numbers of tubular radiator. The experimental results are in good agreement with calculated results.

Nerve regeneration using tubular scaffolds from biodegradable polyurethane.

PubMed

Hausner, T; Schmidhammer, R; Zandieh, S; Hopf, R; Schultz, A; Gogolewski, S; Hertz, H; Redl, H

2007-01-01

In severe nerve lesion, nerve defects and in brachial plexus reconstruction, autologous nerve grafting is the golden standard. Although, nerve grafting technique is the best available approach a major disadvantages exists: there is a limited source of autologous nerve grafts. This study presents data on the use of tubular scaffolds with uniaxial pore orientation from experimental biodegradable polyurethanes coated with fibrin sealant to regenerate a 8 mm resected segment of rat sciatic nerve. Tubular scaffolds: prepared by extrusion of the polymer solution in DMF into water coagulation bath. The polymer used for the preparation of tubular scaffolds was a biodegradable polyurethane based on hexamethylene diisocyanate, poly(epsilon-caprolactone) and dianhydro-D-sorbitol. EXPERIMENTAL MODEL: Eighteen Sprague Dawley rats underwent mid-thigh sciatic nerve transection and were randomly assigned to two experimental groups with immediate repair: (1) tubular scaffold, (2) 180 degrees rotated sciatic nerve segment (control). Serial functional measurements (toe spread test, placing tests) were performed weekly from 3rd to 12th week after nerve repair. On week 12, electrophysiological assessment was performed. Sciatic nerve and scaffold/nerve grafts were harvested for histomorphometric analysis. Collagenic connective tissue, Schwann cells and axons were evaluated in the proximal nerve stump, the scaffold/nerve graft and the distal nerve stump. The implants have uniaxially-oriented pore structure with a pore size in the range of 2 micorm (the pore wall) and 75 x 700 microm (elongated pores in the implant lumen). The skin of the tubular implants was nonporous. Animals which underwent repair with tubular scaffolds of biodegradable polyurethanes coated with diluted fibrin sealant had no significant functional differences compared with the nerve graft group. Control group resulted in a trend-wise better electrophysiological recovery but did not show statistically significant

Unraveling the redox evolution of the Yangtze Block across the Precambrian/Cambrian transition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Diamond, C. W.; Zhang, F.; Chen, Y.; Lyons, T. W.

2016-12-01

Rocks preserved on the South China Craton have played a critical role in refining our understanding of the co-evolution of life and Earth's surface environments in the Late Neoproterozoic and earliest Paleozoic. From the earliest metazoan embryos to the many examples of exceptional preservation throughout the Cambrian Explosion, South China has preserved an outstanding record of animal evolution across this critical transition. Similarly, rocks preserved in South China hold key insights into the changing ocean chemistry that accompanied this extraordinary time. Recent work form Sahoo and others (2016, Geobiology) used redox sensitive metal enrichments in the Ediacaran Doushantuo Formation to demonstrate that the redox state of the Latest Neoproterozoic oceans was highly dynamic, rather than stably oxygenated or anoxic as had both been suggested previously. In an attempt to follow on from this and other studies, we have examined samples from a drill core taken in eastern Guizhou capturing deep-water facies of the Liuchapo and Jiumenchong formations, which contain the Precambrian/Cambrian boundary. In addition to containing the boundary, the sampled interval contains an enigmatic, widespread horizon that is strongly enriched in Ni and Mo. We have taken a multi-proxy approach in our investigation of this layer, the possible implications it has for the strata above and below (i.e., how its presence affects their utility as archives of paleo-redox conditions), and what those strata can tell us about local and global redox conditions during this pivotal time in Earth's history. Our Fe speciation data indicate that conditions were sulfidic at this location throughout the majority of the sampled interval. While redox sensitive metal concentrations are dramatically enriched in the Ni/Mo interval, their concentrations return to modest enrichments above it and continue to decrease upward. This trend suggests that while the conditions that favored extreme enrichment during the

Mathematical modeling of methyl ester concentration distribution in a continuous membrane tubular reactor and comparison with conventional tubular reactor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Talaghat, M. R.; Jokar, S. M.; Modarres, E.

2017-10-01

The reduction of fossil fuel resources and environmental issues made researchers find alternative fuels include biodiesels. One of the most widely used methods for production of biodiesel on a commercial scale is transesterification method. In this work, the biodiesel production by a transesterification method was modeled. Sodium hydroxide was considered as a catalyst to produce biodiesel from canola oil and methanol in a continuous tubular ceramic membranes reactor. As the Biodiesel production reaction from triglycerides is an equilibrium reaction, the reaction rate constants depend on temperature and related linearly to catalyst concentration. By using the mass balance for a membrane tubular reactor and considering the variation of raw materials and products concentration with time, the set of governing equations were solved by numerical methods. The results clearly show the superiority of membrane reactor than conventional tubular reactors. Afterward, the influences of molar ratio of alcohol to oil, weight percentage of the catalyst, and residence time on the performance of biodiesel production reactor were investigated.

500 Myr of thermal history elucidated by multi-method detrital thermochronology of North Gondwana Cambrian sandstone (Eilat area, Israel)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vermeesch, P.; Avigad, D.

2009-04-01

Following the Neoproterozoic Pan-African orogeny, the Arabian-Nubian Shield (ANS) of North Africa and Arabia was eroded and then covered by Cambrian sandstones that record the onset of platform sedimentation. We applied K-feldspar 40Ar/39Ar, zircon and apatite fission track and apatite (U-Th)/He thermochronology to detritus from Cambrian sandstones of southern Israel deposited at about 500 Ma. U-Pb detrital zircon ages from these sandstones predate deposition and record the earlier Neoproterozoic crustal evolution of the Pan-African orogens. 40Ar/39Ar ages from 50 single grains of K-feldspar yield a Cambrian mean of approximately 535 Ma. The 40Ar/39Ar age spectrum of a multi-grain K-feldspar aliquot displays diffusion behaviour compatible with >560 Ma cooling later affected by a heating event. Assuming that the high temperature domains of the K-feldspars have not been affected by subsequent (hydro)thermal events, and taking previously published K-Ar and Rb-Sr ages from other parts of the East African Orogen at face value, these ages apparently record Pan-African thermal resetting below a thick volcano-sedimentary pile similar to the Saramuj conglomerate in Jordan and/or the Hammamat in Egypt. Detrital zircon fission track (ZFT) ages cluster around 380 Ma, consistent with previous ZFT results from Neoproterozoic basement and sediments of the region, revealing that the Cambrian platform sequence experienced a middle Devonian thermal event and low-grade metamorphism. Regional correlation indicates that during Devonian time the sedimentary cover atop the Cambrian in Israel was never in excess of 2.5 km, requiring an abnormally steep geothermal gradient to explain the complete ZFT annealing. A basal Carboniferous unconformity can be traced from Syria to southern Saudi Arabia, suggesting that the observed Devonian ZFT ages represent a regional tectonothermal event. Similar Devonian ZFT ages were reported from ANS basement outcrops in the Eastern Desert, 500 km south of

Paleoproterozoic mojaveprovince in northwestern Mexico? Isotopic and U-Pb zircon geochronologic studies of precambrian and Cambrian crystalline and sedimentary rocks, Caborca, Sonora

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lang, Farmer G.; Bowring, S.A.; Matzel, J.; Maldonado, G.E.; Fedo, C.; Wooden, J.

2005-01-01

Whole-rock Nd isotopic data and U-Pb zircon geochronology from Precambrian crystalline rocks in the Caborca area, northern Sonora, reveal that these rocks are most likely a segment of the Paleoproterozoic Mojave province. Supporting this conclusion are the observations that paragneiss from the ??? 1.75 Ga Bamori Complex has a 2.4 Ga Nd model age and contains detrital zircons ranging in age from Paleo- proterozoic (1.75 Ga) to Archean (3.2 Ga). Paragneisses with similar age and isotopic characteristics occur in the Mojave province in southern California. In addition, "A-type" granite exposed at the southern end of Cerro Rajon has ca 2.0 Ga Nd model age and a U-Pb zircon age of 1.71 Ga, which are similar to those of Paleoproterozoic granites in the Mojave province. Unlike the U.S. Mojave province, the Caborcan crust contains ca. 1.1 Ga granite (Aibo Granite), which our new Nd isotopic data suggest is largely the product of anatexis of the local Precambrian basement. Detrital zircons from Neoproterozoic to early Cambrian miogeoclinal arenites at Caborca show dominant populations ca. 1.7 Ga, ca. 1.4 Ga, and ca. 1.1 Ga, with subordinate Early Cambrian and Archean zircons. These zircons were likely derived predominately from North American crust to the east and northeast, and not from the underlying Caborcan basement. The general age and isotopic similarities between Mojave province basement and overlying miogeoclinal sedimentary rocks in Sonora and southern California is necessary, but not sufficient, proof of the hypothesis that Sonoran crust is allochthonous and was transported to its current position during the Mesozoic along the proposed Mojave-Sonora megashear. One viable alternative model is that the Caborcan Precambrian crust is an isolated, autochthonous segment of Mojave province crust that shares a similar, but not identical, Proterozoic geological history with Mojave province crust found in the southwest United States ?? 2005 Geological Society of America.

Evidence of the coupled geology system and its impact on the evolution of South China during the transformation from Sinian to Cambrian

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, C.; Wang, T.; Chen, Z.

2016-12-01

Separate interpretation of the evidence on tectonic, sedimentology or climate is insufficient to reappear the dynamic process of the evolution of the Earth surface, thus, tectonic, sedimentology and climate should be considered as a coupled system. Thick carbonate succession is overlaying on the paleo-uplift which is divided into two parts by a fluted belt in the center of Sichuan Basin. Sinian carbonate rocks is commonly composed by algae dolomite, while at the top of the Sinian succession the rocks had experienced meteoric karstification. Grain dolostones, fine-grained siliciclastic sandstones with mudstone appeare as the regional sediment of Cambrian. However, extraordinary thick mudstone had settled in the fluted belt, and the succession could be divided in to siliciclastic mud of the lower and clay-carbonate mud of the upper. The geochemistry and well log synthesized profile of Z4 well indicate that the chemical condition of siliciclastic mud and clay-carbonate mud had changed from oxidation to reduction, however the siliciclastic mud only appeared within the fluted belt. The fluted belt does not exist on the map of the gravity anomaly, but it had been convinced by the seismic data. The precursor of the fluted belt might be a sag within the platform basement, while with the sea level gradually raising up, the growth of algal mound exacerbated the geomorphology difference. Then a regression had happened at the end of the Sinian, starved all the algae and caused weather crust. Meanwhile, the fluted belt became a closed lagoon, received the sediment including algal mound fragment and biosilic crystals. Afterwards, rapidly increasing of the sea level deposited thick cay-carbonate mud that could be recognized as the sediment of maximum flooding surface. Then with the sea level decreasing, siliciclastic sandstones and inorganic grain carbonate became the main petrology of the Cambrian strata. Fine-grained eolian siliciclastic sandstones within the Cambrian carbonate

Cambrian Sauk transgression in the Grand Canyon region redefined by detrital zircons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karlstrom, Karl; Hagadorn, James; Gehrels, George; Matthews, William; Schmitz, Mark; Madronich, Lauren; Mulder, Jacob; Pecha, Mark; Giesler, Dominique; Crossey, Laura

2018-06-01

The Sauk transgression was one of the most dramatic global marine transgressions in Earth history. It is recorded by deposition of predominantly Cambrian non-marine to shallow marine sheet sandstones unconformably above basement rocks far into the interiors of many continents. Here we use dating of detrital zircons sampled from above and below the Great Unconformity in the Grand Canyon region to bracket the timing of the Sauk transgression at this classic location. We find that the Sixtymile Formation, long considered a Precambrian unit beneath the Great Unconformity, has maximum depositional ages that get younger up-section from 527 to 509 million years old. The unit contains angular unconformities and soft-sediment deformation that record a previously unknown period of intracratonic faulting and epeirogeny spanning four Cambrian stages. The overlying Tapeats Sandstone has youngest detrital zircon ages of 505 to 501 million years old. When linked to calibrated trilobite zone ages of greater than 500 million years old, these age constraints show that the marine transgression across a greater than 300-km-wide cratonic region took place during an interval 505 to 500 million years ago—more recently and more rapidly than previously thought. We redefine this onlap as the main Sauk transgression in the region. Mechanisms for this rapid flooding of the continent include thermal subsidence following the final breakup of Rodinia, combined with abrupt global eustatic changes driven by climate and/or mantle buoyancy modifications.

Composition and origin of Early Cambrian Tiantaishan phosphorite-Mn carbonate ores, Shaanxi Province, China

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hein, J.R.; Fan, D.; Ye, J.; Liu, T.; Yeh, H.-W.

1999-01-01

The Tiantaishan phosphorite-Mn carbonate ores occur in the Early Cambrian Tananpo Formation in complexly folded and faulted rocks located in southern Shaanxi Province. About 65 x 106 tonnes of 17% P2O5 ore reserves exist and Mn-ore reserves are about 8.3 x 106 tonnes of +18% Mn. The stratigraphic sequence in ascending order consists of black phyllite, black to gray phosphorite ore, black phyllite, rhodochrostone ore, Mn mixed-carbonates, and dolostone. Data are presented from microprobe mineral chemistry, whole-rock chemistry, stable isotopes of carbonates, X-ray mineralogy, petrographic and SEM observations, and statistical analysis of chemical data. The dominant ore-forming minerals are hydroxy- and carbonate fluorapatite and Ca rhodochrosite, with Mg kutnahorite and dolomite comprising the Mn mixed-carbonate section. Pyrite occurs in all rock types and alabandite (MnS) occurs throughout the rhodochrostone section. The mean P2O5 content of phosphorite is 31% and argillaceous phosphorite is 16%, while the mean MnO content of rhodochrostone ore is 37%. Phosphorite ores are massive, spheroidal, laminated, and banded, while rhodochrostone ores have oolitic, spheroidal, and granular fabrics. The most distinguishing characteristics of the ores are high total organic carbon (TOC) contents (mean 8.4%) in the phosphorite and high P2O5 contents (mean 2.7%) in the rhodochrostone ore. The atypically high TOC contents in the Tiantaishan phosphorite probably result from very strong productivity leading to high sedimentation rates accompanied by weak reworking of sediments; poor utilization of the organic matter by bacteria; and/or partial replacement of bacterial or algal mats by the apatite. The depositional setting of the ores was the margin of an epicontinental seaway created as a direct consequence of global processes that included break-up of a supercontinent, formation of narrow seaways, creation of extensive continental shelves, overturn of stagnant, metal-rich deep

49 CFR 230.55 - Tubular type water and lubricator glasses and shields.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 49 Transportation 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Tubular type water and lubricator glasses and... STANDARDS Boilers and Appurtenances Water Glasses and Gauge Cocks § 230.55 Tubular type water and lubricator glasses and shields. (a) Water glasses. Tubular type water glasses shall be renewed at each 92 service day...

Geochronology and geochemistry of early Paleozoic igneous rocks of the Lesser Xing'an Range, NE China: Implications for the tectonic evolution of the eastern Central Asian Orogenic Belt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Zhi-wei; Xu, Wen-liang; Pei, Fu-ping; Wang, Feng; Guo, Peng

2016-09-01

This paper presents new zircon U-Pb, Hf isotope, and whole-rock major and trace element data for early Paleozoic igneous rocks of the Lesser Xing'an Range, NE China, in order to constrain the early Paleozoic tectonic evolution of the eastern Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB). Zircon U-Pb dating indicates that early Paleozoic magmatic events within the northern Songnen-Zhangguangcai Range Massif (SZM) can be subdivided into four stages: Middle Cambrian ( 505 Ma), Late Cambrian ( 490 Ma), Early-Middle Ordovician ( 470 Ma), and Late Ordovician (460-450 Ma). The Middle Cambrian monzogranites are K-rich, weakly to strongly peraluminous, and characterized by pronounced heavy rare earth element (HREE) depletions, high Sr/Y ratios, low Y concentrations, low primary zircon εHf(t) values (- 6.79 to - 1.09), and ancient two-stage model (TDM2) ages (1901-1534 Ma). These results indicate derivation from partial melting of thickened ancient crustal materials that formed during the amalgamation of the northern SZM and the northern Jiamusi Massif (JM). The Late Cambrian monzonite, quartz monzonite, and monzogranite units are chemically similar to A-type granites, and contain zircons with εHf(t) values of - 2.59 to + 1.78 and TDM2 ages of 1625-1348 Ma. We infer that these rocks formed from primary magmas generated by partial melting of Mesoproterozoic accreted lower crustal materials in a post-collisional extensional environment. The Early-Middle Ordovician quartz monzodiorite, quartz monzonite, monzogranite, and rhyolite units are calc-alkaline, relatively enriched in light REEs (LREEs) and large ion lithophile elements (LILEs; e.g., Rb, Th, and U), depleted in HREEs and high field strength elements (HFSEs; e.g., Nb, Ta, and Ti), and contain zircons with εHf(t) values of - 7.33 to + 4.98, indicative of formation in an active continental margin setting. The Late Ordovician alkali-feldspar granite and rhyolite units have A-type granite affinities that suggest they formed in an

Mars Life? - Microscopic Tubular Structures

NASA Image and Video Library

1996-08-09

This electron microscope image shows tubular structures of likely Martian origin. These structures are very similar in size and shape to extremely tiny microfossils found in some Earth rocks. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA00287

Elevated oxidized glutathione in cystinotic proximal tubular epithelial cells.

PubMed

Wilmer, Martijn J G; de Graaf-Hess, Adriana; Blom, Henk J; Dijkman, Henry B P M; Monnens, Leo A; van den Heuvel, Lambertus P; Levtchenko, Elena N

2005-11-18

Cystinosis, the most frequent cause of inborn Fanconi syndrome, is characterized by the lysosomal cystine accumulation, caused by mutations in the CTNS gene. To elucidate the pathogenesis of cystinosis, we cultured proximal tubular cells from urine of cystinotic patients (n = 9) and healthy controls (n = 9), followed by immortalization with human papilloma virus (HPV E6/E7). Obtained cell lines displayed basolateral polarization, alkaline phosphatase activity, and presence of aminopeptidase N (CD-13) and megalin, confirming their proximal tubular origin. Cystinotic cell lines exhibited elevated cystine levels (0.86 +/- 0.95 nmol/mg versus 0.09 +/- 0.01 nmol/mg protein in controls, p = 0.03). Oxidized glutathione was elevated in cystinotic cells (1.16 +/- 0.83 nmol/mg versus 0.29 +/- 0.18 nmol/mg protein, p = 0.04), while total glutathione, free cysteine, and ATP contents were normal in these cells. In conclusion, elevated oxidized glutathione in cystinotic proximal tubular epithelial cell lines suggests increased oxidative stress, which may contribute to tubular dysfunction in cystinosis.

Renal pathophysiologic role of cortical tubular inclusion bodies.

PubMed

Radi, Zaher A; Stewart, Zachary S; Grzemski, Felicity A; Bobrowski, Walter F

2013-01-01

Renal tubular inclusion bodies are rarely associated with drug administration. The authors describe the finding of renal cortical tubular intranuclear and intracytoplasmic inclusion bodies associated with the oral administration of a norepinephrine/serotonin reuptake inhibitor (NSRI) test article in Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. Rats were given an NSRI daily for 4 weeks, and kidney histopathologic, ultrastructural pathology, and immunohistochemical examinations were performed. Round eosinophilic intranuclear inclusion bodies were observed histologically in the tubular epithelial cells of the renal cortex in male and female SD rats given the NSRI compound. No evidence of degeneration or necrosis was noted in the inclusion-containing renal cells. By ultrastructural pathology, inclusion bodies consisted of finely granular, amorphous, and uniformly stained nonmembrane-bound material. By immunohistochemistry, inclusion bodies stained positive for d-amino acid oxidase (DAO) protein. In addition, similar inclusion bodies were noted in the cytoplasmic tubular epithelial compartment by ultrastructural and immunohistochemical examination.  This is the first description of these renal inclusion bodies after an NSRI test article administration in SD rats. Such drug-induced renal inclusion bodies are rat-specific, do not represent an expression of nephrotoxicity, represent altered metabolism of d-amino acids, and are not relevant to human safety risk assessment.

Hemodynamic and tubular changes induced by contrast media.

PubMed

Caiazza, Antonella; Russo, Luigi; Sabbatini, Massimo; Russo, Domenico

2014-01-01

The incidence of acute kidney injury induced by contrast media (CI-AKI) is the third cause of AKI in hospitalized patients. Contrast media cause relevant alterations both in renal hemodynamics and in renal tubular cell function that lead to CI-AKI. The vasoconstriction of intrarenal vasculature is the main hemodynamic change induced by contrast media; the vasoconstriction is accompanied by a cascade of events leading to ischemia and reduction of glomerular filtration rate. Cytotoxicity of contrast media causes apoptosis of tubular cells with consequent formation of casts and worsening of ischemia. There is an interplay between the negative effects of contrast media on renal hemodynamics and on tubular cell function that leads to activation of renin-angiotensin system and increased production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) within the kidney. Production of ROS intensifies cellular hypoxia through endothelial dysfunction and alteration of mechanisms regulating tubular cells transport. The physiochemical characteristics of contrast media play a critical role in the incidence of CI-AKI. Guidelines suggest the use of either isoosmolar or low-osmolar contrast media rather than high-osmolar contrast media particularly in patients at increased risk of CI-AKI. Older age, presence of atherosclerosis, congestive heart failure, chronic renal disease, nephrotoxic drugs, and diuretics may multiply the risk of CI-AKI.

Hemodynamic and Tubular Changes Induced by Contrast Media

PubMed Central

Caiazza, Antonella; Russo, Luigi; Russo, Domenico

2014-01-01

The incidence of acute kidney injury induced by contrast media (CI-AKI) is the third cause of AKI in hospitalized patients. Contrast media cause relevant alterations both in renal hemodynamics and in renal tubular cell function that lead to CI-AKI. The vasoconstriction of intrarenal vasculature is the main hemodynamic change induced by contrast media; the vasoconstriction is accompanied by a cascade of events leading to ischemia and reduction of glomerular filtration rate. Cytotoxicity of contrast media causes apoptosis of tubular cells with consequent formation of casts and worsening of ischemia. There is an interplay between the negative effects of contrast media on renal hemodynamics and on tubular cell function that leads to activation of renin-angiotensin system and increased production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) within the kidney. Production of ROS intensifies cellular hypoxia through endothelial dysfunction and alteration of mechanisms regulating tubular cells transport. The physiochemical characteristics of contrast media play a critical role in the incidence of CI-AKI. Guidelines suggest the use of either isoosmolar or low-osmolar contrast media rather than high-osmolar contrast media particularly in patients at increased risk of CI-AKI. Older age, presence of atherosclerosis, congestive heart failure, chronic renal disease, nephrotoxic drugs, and diuretics may multiply the risk of CI-AKI. PMID:24678510

Renal tubular function in children with tyrosinaemia type I treated with nitisinone.

PubMed

Santra, S; Preece, M A; Hulton, S-A; McKiernan, P J

2008-06-01

Tyrosinaemia type I (TTI) is an inherited deficiency in the enzyme fumarylacetoacetate hydrolase and is frequently complicated by renal tubular dysfunction which may persist in some patients after hepatic transplantation. Nitisinone has revolutionized the management of TTI but its effect on renal tubular dysfunction has not been described in a large cohort of patients. To document the incidence and progression of renal tubular dysfunction in children with TTI treated with nitisinone at a single centre. Twenty-one patients with TTI from a single centre were treated with nitisinone for at least 12 months. Median age at first treatment was 17 weeks (range 1 week to 27 months). Nine patients (43%) presented in acute liver failure, seven (33%) had a chronic presentation and five (24%) were detected pre-clinically. A retrospective case analysis of plasma phosphate, urinary protein/creatinine ratio and tubular reabsorption of phosphate was performed for all patients as markers of tubular function. Renal ultrasounds were examined for evidence of nephrocalcinosis and where available, skeletal radiographs for rickets. All patients had biochemical evidence of renal tubular dysfunction at presentation. After nitisinone and dietary treatment were started, all three markers normalized within one year. Four children had clinical rickets at presentation (which improved), of whom one had nephrocalcinosis, which did not reverse on nitisinone. No child redeveloped tubular dysfunction after commencing nitisinone. All patients with TTI had evidence of tubular dysfunction at presentation and in all cases this resolved with nitisinone and dietary control. The tubulopathy associated with TTI is reversible.

Performance of Serum Creatinine and Kidney Injury Biomarkers for Diagnosing Histologic Acute Tubular Injury.

PubMed

Moledina, Dennis G; Hall, Isaac E; Thiessen-Philbrook, Heather; Reese, Peter P; Weng, Francis L; Schröppel, Bernd; Doshi, Mona D; Wilson, F Perry; Coca, Steven G; Parikh, Chirag R

2017-12-01

The diagnosis of acute kidney injury (AKI), which is currently defined as an increase in serum creatinine (Scr) concentration, provides little information on the condition's actual cause. To improve phenotyping of AKI, many urinary biomarkers of tubular injury are being investigated. Because AKI cases are not frequently biopsied, the diagnostic accuracy of concentrations of Scr and urinary biomarkers for histologic acute tubular injury is unknown. Cross-sectional analysis from multicenter prospective cohort. Hospitalized deceased kidney donors on whom kidney biopsies were performed at the time of organ procurement for histologic evaluation. (1) AKI diagnosed by change in Scr concentration during donor hospitalization and (2) concentrations of urinary biomarkers (neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin [NGAL], liver-type fatty acid-binding protein [L-FABP], interleukin 18 [IL-18], and kidney injury molecule 1 [KIM-1]) measured at organ procurement. Histologic acute tubular injury. Of 581 donors, 98 (17%) had mild acute tubular injury and 57 (10%) had severe acute tubular injury. Overall, Scr-based AKI had poor diagnostic performance for identifying histologic acute tubular injury and 49% of donors with severe acute tubular injury did not have AKI. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) of change in Scr concentration for diagnosing severe acute tubular injury was 0.58 (95% CI, 0.49-0.67) and for any acute tubular injury was 0.52 (95% CI, 0.45-0.58). Compared with Scr concentration, NGAL concentration demonstrated higher AUROC for diagnosing both severe acute tubular injury (0.67; 95% CI, 0.60-0.74; P=0.03) and any acute tubular injury (0.60; 95% CI, 0.55-0.66; P=0.005). In donors who did not have Scr-based AKI, NGAL concentrations were higher with increasing severities of acute tubular injury (subclinical AKI). However, compared with Scr concentration, AUROCs for acute tubular injury diagnosis were not significantly higher for urinary L

Microbial involvement in the formation of Cambrian sea-floor silica-iron oxide deposits, Australia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duhig, Nathan C.; Davidson, Garry J.; Stolz, Joe

1992-06-01

The Cambrian-Ordovician Mount Windsor volcanic belt in northern Australia is host to stratiform lenses of massive ferruginous chert that are spatially associated with volcanogenic massive sulfide occurrences, in particular the Thalanga zinc-lead-copper-silver deposit. The rocks are composed principally of Fe2O3 and SiO2, with very low concentrations of alkalic elements, and lithogenous elements such as Al, Zr, and Ti; they are interpreted as nearly pure chemical sediments. Textural evidence is documented of the integral role of filamentous bacteria (and/or fungi) in depositing iron from hydrothermal fluids, and of the inorganic precipitation of silica-iron-oxyhydroxide gels that subsequently matured to subcrystalline and crystalline silica forms. At least three distinct iron-accumulating microbial forms are distinguished: networks of septate filaments, nonseptate filament networks, and extremely coarse branching filaments that do not reconnect. Values for δ34S in disseminated pyrite are up to 50‰ lighter than those of contemporaneous Cambrian seawater, suggesting postdepositional colonization of some ironstones by sulfur-reducing bacteria. The site not only preserves the textural interplay of biological and inorganic depositional processes in exhalites, but also extends the oldest known instance of microbial mediation in vent-proximal hydrothermal iron precipitation to at least 500 Ma.

Tubular hydrogen permeable metal foil membrane and method of fabrication

DOEpatents

Paglieri, Stephen N.; Birdsell, Stephen A.; Barbero, Robert S.; Snow, Ronny C.; Smith, Frank M.

2006-04-04

A tubular hydrogen permeable metal membrane and fabrication process comprises obtaining a metal alloy foil having two surfaces, coating the surfaces with a metal or metal alloy catalytic layer to produce a hydrogen permeable metal membrane, sizing the membrane into a sheet with two long edges, wrapping the membrane around an elongated expandable rod with the two long edges aligned and overlapping to facilitate welding of the two together, placing the foil wrapped rod into a surrounding fixture housing with the two aligned and overlapping foil edges accessible through an elongated aperture in the surrounding fixture housing, expanding the elongated expandable rod within the surrounding fixture housing to tighten the foil about the expanded rod, welding the two long overlapping foil edges to one another generating a tubular membrane, and removing the tubular membrane from within the surrounding fixture housing and the expandable rod from with the tubular membrane.

Mars Life? - Microscopic Tubular Structures

NASA Image and Video Library

1996-08-09

This electron microscope image shows extremely tiny tubular structures that are possible microscopic fossils of bacteria-like organisms that may have lived on Mars more than 3.6 billion years ago. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA00285

FGF8 coordinates tissue elongation and cell epithelialization during early kidney tubulogenesis

PubMed Central

Atsuta, Yuji; Takahashi, Yoshiko

2015-01-01

When a tubular structure forms during early embryogenesis, tubular elongation and lumen formation (epithelialization) proceed simultaneously in a spatiotemporally coordinated manner. We here demonstrate, using the Wolffian duct (WD) of early chicken embryos, that this coordination is regulated by the expression of FGF8, which shifts posteriorly during body axis elongation. FGF8 acts as a chemoattractant on the leader cells of the elongating WD and prevents them from epithelialization, whereas static (‘rear’) cells that receive progressively less FGF8 undergo epithelialization to form a lumen. Thus, FGF8 acts as a binary switch that distinguishes tubular elongation from lumen formation. The posteriorly shifting FGF8 is also known to regulate somite segmentation, suggesting that multiple types of tissue morphogenesis are coordinately regulated by macroscopic changes in body growth. PMID:26130757

Self-assembling iron oxyhydroxide/oxide tubular structures: laboratory-grown and field examples from Rio Tinto.

PubMed

Barge, Laura M; Cardoso, Silvana S S; Cartwright, Julyan H E; Doloboff, Ivria J; Flores, Erika; Macías-Sánchez, Elena; Sainz-Díaz, C Ignacio; Sobrón, Pablo

2016-11-01

Rio Tinto in southern Spain has become of increasing astrobiological significance, in particular for its similarity to environments on early Mars. We present evidence of tubular structures from sampled terraces in the stream bed at the source of the river, as well as ancient, now dry, terraces. This is the first reported finding of tubular structures in this particular environment. We propose that some of these structures could be formed through self-assembly via an abiotic mechanism involving templated precipitation around a fluid jet, a similar mechanism to that commonly found in so-called chemical gardens. Laboratory experiments simulating the formation of self-assembling iron oxyhydroxide tubes via chemical garden/chemobrionic processes form similar structures. Fluid-mechanical scaling analysis demonstrates that the proposed mechanism is plausible. Although the formation of tube structures is not itself a biosignature, the iron mineral oxidation gradients across the tube walls in laboratory and field examples may yield information about energy gradients and potentially habitable environments.

Self-assembling iron oxyhydroxide/oxide tubular structures: laboratory-grown and field examples from Rio Tinto

PubMed Central

Barge, Laura M.; Doloboff, Ivria J.; Flores, Erika; Sobrón, Pablo

2016-01-01

Rio Tinto in southern Spain has become of increasing astrobiological significance, in particular for its similarity to environments on early Mars. We present evidence of tubular structures from sampled terraces in the stream bed at the source of the river, as well as ancient, now dry, terraces. This is the first reported finding of tubular structures in this particular environment. We propose that some of these structures could be formed through self-assembly via an abiotic mechanism involving templated precipitation around a fluid jet, a similar mechanism to that commonly found in so-called chemical gardens. Laboratory experiments simulating the formation of self-assembling iron oxyhydroxide tubes via chemical garden/chemobrionic processes form similar structures. Fluid-mechanical scaling analysis demonstrates that the proposed mechanism is plausible. Although the formation of tube structures is not itself a biosignature, the iron mineral oxidation gradients across the tube walls in laboratory and field examples may yield information about energy gradients and potentially habitable environments. PMID:27956875

pH measurement of tubular vacuoles of an arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus, Gigaspora margarita.

PubMed

Funamoto, Rintaro; Saito, Katsuharu; Oyaizu, Hiroshi; Aono, Toshihiro; Saito, Masanori

2015-01-01

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi play an important role in phosphate supply to the host plants. The fungal hyphae contain tubular vacuoles where phosphate compounds such as polyphosphate are accumulated. Despite their importance for the phosphate storage, little is known about the physiological properties of the tubular vacuoles in arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. As an indicator of the physiological state in vacuoles, we measured pH of tubular vacuoles in living hyphae of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus Gigaspora margarita using ratio image analysis with pH-dependent fluorescent probe, 6-carboxyfluorescein. Fluorescent images of the fine tubular vacuoles were obtained using a laser scanning confocal microscope, which enabled calculation of vacuolar pH with high spatial resolution. The tubular vacuoles showed mean pH of 5.6 and a pH range of 5.1-6.3. These results suggest that the tubular vacuoles of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi have a mildly acidic pH just like vacuoles of other fungal species including yeast and ectomycorrhizal fungi.

Tubular solid oxide fuel cell current collector

DOEpatents

Bischoff, Brian L.; Sutton, Theodore G.; Armstrong, Timothy R.

2010-07-20

An internal current collector for use inside a tubular solid oxide fuel cell (TSOFC) electrode comprises a tubular coil spring disposed concentrically within a TSOFC electrode and in firm uniform tangential electrical contact with the electrode inner surface. The current collector maximizes the contact area between the current collector and the electrode. The current collector is made of a metal that is electrically conductive and able to survive under the operational conditions of the fuel cell, i.e., the cathode in air, and the anode in fuel such as hydrogen, CO, CO.sub.2, H.sub.2O or H.sub.2S.

EBSD characterization of pre-Cambrian deformations in conglomerate pebbles (Sierra de la Demanda, Northern Spain)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Puelles, Pablo; Ábalos, Benito; Fernández-Armas, Sergio

2010-05-01

Pre-Cambrian and unconformable earliest Cambrian rocks from the Sierra de la Demanda (N Spain) exhibit field and microstructural relationships that attest to orogenic events recorded by concealed basement rocks. Neoproterozoic foliated slates ("Anguiano Schists") crop out under up to 300 m thick, unfoliated quartz-rich conglomerates ("Anguiano Conglomerates") and quartzites which are stratigraphically ca. 600 m below the oldest, paleontologically dated, pre-trilobitic Cambrian layers (likely older than 520 Ma). The Anguiano Conglomerates contain mm to cm grainsized well-rounded pebbles of various types including monocrystalline quartz, detrital zircon and tourmaline-bearing sandstones, black cherts and metamorphic poly-crystalline quartz aggregates. The undeformed matrix is made of much smaller (diagenetically overgrown) monocrystaline quartz grains and minor amounts of accesory zircon, tourmaline and mica. Black chert pebbles exhibit microstructural evidence of brittle deformation (microfaults and thin veins of syntaxial fibrous quartz). These and the fine-grained sandstone pebbles can also exhibit ductile deformations (microfolds with thickened hinges and axial planar continuous foliations), too. Polycrystalline quartz pebbles exhibit a variety of microstructures that resulted from syn-metamorphic ductile deformations. These are recognisable under the petrographic microscope and include continuous foliations, quartz shape fabrics, various types of subgrain or recrystallized new grain microtextures, and lattice preferred orientations (LPOs). Conventional characterization of quartz fabrics (after oriented structural sections) is challenged in conglomerate pebble thin sections by the difficulty of unraveling in them the complete structural reference framework provided by foliation (whose trace can be unraveled) and lineation orientation (which cannot be directly identified). Quartz in various metamorphic polycrystalline pebbles was studied with the Electron Back

Mechanism of intracellular signal transduction during injury of renal tubular cells induced by postasphyxial serum in neonates with asphyxia.

PubMed

Zhao, Jin; Dong, Wen-Bin; Li, Peng-yun; Deng, Chun-liang

2009-01-01

Renal injury is a severe and extremely common complication that occurs early in neonates with asphyxia. Reperfusion injury has been suggested as the cause of kidney damage during resuscitation of neonatal asphyxia. Previous studies have demonstrated that postasphyxial serum from neonates with asphyxia may result in apoptosis of renal tubular cells. However, the mechanisms that mediate renal tubular cell apoptosis induced by postasphyxial serum remain poorly understood. In this report we investigate the intracellular signal transduction mechanisms that operate during injury of renal tubular cells induced by postasphyxial serum in neonates. Cultured human renal proximal tubular cells HK-2 cell were exposed to 10% fetal calf serum (normal control), 20% postasphyxial serum or 20% postasphyxial serum with pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (PDTC). The expression of both BAD and BAX in the cytoplasm was detected by immunohistochemistry. The mitochondria membrane potential (Deltapsim) was examined by confocal microscopy, and the release of the apoptogenic mitochondrial proteins cytochrome C and AIF was assessed by Western blot analysis. Loss of mitochondria membrane potential was detected in HK-2 cells treated with 20% postasphyxial serum as compared to cells in normal serum or PTDC-pretreated cells in 20% postasphyxial serum. A significant increase of Bad and Bax protein expression was also detected, along with the release of cytochrome C and AIF from mitochondria to cytosol in the postasphyxial serum treated cells, but not in the normal or PTDC-pretreated control cells. Our findings suggest that postasphyxial serum may induce renal tubular cell apoptosis through the mitochondrial pathway, and its intracellular signal transduction mechanism includes the activation of nuclear factor-kappaB. Copyright 2009 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Bcl-2 protects tubular epithelial cells from ischemia/reperfusion injury by dual mechanisms.

PubMed

Isaka, Y; Suzuki, C; Abe, T; Okumi, M; Ichimaru, N; Imamura, R; Kakuta, Y; Matsui, I; Takabatake, Y; Rakugi, H; Shimizu, S; Takahara, S

2009-01-01

Ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury, which induces extensive loss of tubular epithelial cells, is associated with delayed graft function following kidney transplantation. Recent reports have suggested that cell death by I/R injury occurs by autophagy, a cellular degradation process responsible for the turnover of unnecessary or dysfunctional organelles and cytoplasmic proteins, as well as by apoptosis. Recently, we demonstrated that overexpression of the anti-apoptotic factor, Bcl-2, inhibited tubular apoptosis and subsequent tubulointerstitial damage after I/R injury. Autophagy is also observed in cells undergoing cell death in several diseases. Therefore, we hypothesized that increased Bcl-2 protein may protect tubular epithelial cells by suppressing autophagy and inhibiting apoptosis. In the present study, a transgenic mouse model (LC3-GFP TG) in which autophagosomes are labeled with LC3-GFP and Bcl-2/LC3-GFP double transgenic mice (Bcl-2/LC3-GFP TG) were used to examine the effect of Bcl-2 on I/R-induced autophagy. I/R injury, which is associated with marked disruption of normal tubular morphology, promoted the formation of LC3-GFP dots, representing extensively induced autophagosomes. On electron microscopy, the autophagosomes contained mitochondria in I/R-injured tubular epithelial cells. In contrast, Bcl-2 augmentation suppressed the formation of autophagosomes and there was less tubular damage. In conclusion, Bcl-2 augmentation protected renal tubular epithelial cells from I/R injury by suppressing autophagosomal degradation and inhibiting tubular apoptosis.

Expression of cleaved caspase-3 in renal tubular cells in Plasmodium falciparum malaria patients.

PubMed

Wichapoon, Benjamas; Punsawad, Chuchard; Viriyavejakul, Parnpen

2017-01-01

In Plasmodium falciparum malaria, the clinical manifestation of acute kidney injury (AKI) is commonly associated with acute tubular necrosis (ATN) in the kidney tissues. Renal tubular cells often exhibit various degrees of cloudy swelling, cell degeneration, and frank necrosis. To study individual cell death, this study evaluates the degree of renal tubular necrosis in association with apoptosis in malarial kidneys. Kidney tissues from P. falciparum malaria with AKI (10 cases), and without AKI (10 cases) were evaluated for tubular pathology. Normal kidney tissues from 10 cases served as controls. Tubular necrosis was assessed quantitatively in kidney tissues infected with P. falciparum malaria, based on histopathological evaluation. In addition, the occurrence of apoptosis was investigated using cleaved caspase-3 marker. Correlation between tubular necrosis and apoptosis was analyzed. Tubular necrosis was found to be highest in P. falciparum malaria patients with AKI (36.44% ± 3.21), compared to non-AKI (15.88% ± 1.63) and control groups (2.58% ± 0.39) (all p < 0.001). In the AKI group, the distal tubules showed a significantly higher degree of tubular necrosis than the proximal tubules (p = 0.021) and collecting tubules (p = 0.033). Tubular necrosis was significantly correlated with the level of serum creatinine (r = 0.596, p = 0.006), and the occurrence of apoptosis (r = 0.681, p = 0.001). In malarial AKI, the process of apoptosis occurs in ATN. © 2016 Asian Pacific Society of Nephrology.

[Clonal association of flat epithelial atypia and tubular breast cancer].

PubMed

Aulmann, S; Elsawaf, Z; Penzel, R; Schirmacher, P; Sinn, H P

2008-11-01

Flat epithelial atypia (FEA) of the breast has recently gained attention as a possible precursor lesion of highly differentiated breast cancer. Especially tubular carcinomas, with which FEA shares cytological features, often occur in close proximity to each other. To examine a possible clonal relationship, we analysed mutations of the highly variable region of the mitochondrial genome in a series of tubular carcinomas, associated FEA and normal glands. Multiple sequence alignment showed identical mtDNA mutations in approximately 50% of paired FEA and tumour samples, indicative of a clonal relationship. Our data indicate a possible precursor role of FEA in the development of tubular breast cancer.

Tubular Adenoma of the Breast: A Rare Presentation and Review of the Literature

PubMed Central

Salemis, Nikolaos S.; Gemenetzis, Georgios; Karagkiouzis, Gregorios; Seretis, Charalambos; Sapounas, Konstantinos; Tsantilas, Vlasios; Sambaziotis, Dimitrios; Lagoudianakis, Emmanuel

2012-01-01

Tubular adenomas, also known as pure adenomas, are rare epithelial tumors of the breast. Only a few cases have been reported in the literature, especially in young women of reproductive age. Postmenopausal women are very rarely affected. We describe here a very rare case of tubular breast adenoma in a postmenopausal woman who presented with a gradually enlarging breast lump. Clinical examination and imaging studies revealed a non-tender well circumscribed left breast tumor suggestive of a fibroadenoma. Due to the history of progressive enlargement of the breast lump, a surgical excision was performed. Histological findings were suggestive of a tubular breast adenoma. We conclude that although tubular breast adenoma is rare, it should always be considered in the differential diagnosis in postmenopausal patients presenting with a gradually enlarging breast mass. Preoperative diagnosis is difficult because tubular adenoma is indistinguishable from a fibroadenoma on physical examination and breast imaging. Surgical excision is necessary to establish a definitive diagnosis. Clinical presentation and management of our patient are discussed along with a review of the literature. Keywords Tubular adenoma; Breast; Breast mass. PMID:22383931

Tubular adenoma of the breast: a rare presentation and review of the literature.

PubMed

Salemis, Nikolaos S; Gemenetzis, Georgios; Karagkiouzis, Gregorios; Seretis, Charalambos; Sapounas, Konstantinos; Tsantilas, Vlasios; Sambaziotis, Dimitrios; Lagoudianakis, Emmanuel

2012-02-01

Tubular adenomas, also known as pure adenomas, are rare epithelial tumors of the breast. Only a few cases have been reported in the literature, especially in young women of reproductive age. Postmenopausal women are very rarely affected. We describe here a very rare case of tubular breast adenoma in a postmenopausal woman who presented with a gradually enlarging breast lump. Clinical examination and imaging studies revealed a non-tender well circumscribed left breast tumor suggestive of a fibroadenoma. Due to the history of progressive enlargement of the breast lump, a surgical excision was performed. Histological findings were suggestive of a tubular breast adenoma. We conclude that although tubular breast adenoma is rare, it should always be considered in the differential diagnosis in postmenopausal patients presenting with a gradually enlarging breast mass. Preoperative diagnosis is difficult because tubular adenoma is indistinguishable from a fibroadenoma on physical examination and breast imaging. Surgical excision is necessary to establish a definitive diagnosis. Clinical presentation and management of our patient are discussed along with a review of the literature. Tubular adenoma; Breast; Breast mass.

A Simple Tubular Reactor Experiment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hudgins, Robert R.; Cayrol, Bertrand

1981-01-01

Using the hydrolysis of crystal violet dye by sodium hydroxide as an example, the theory, apparatus, and procedure for a laboratory demonstration of tubular reactor behavior are described. The reaction presented can occur at room temperature and features a color change to reinforce measured results. (WB)

Factor h and properdin recognize different epitopes on renal tubular epithelial heparan sulfate.

PubMed

Zaferani, Azadeh; Vivès, Romain R; van der Pol, Pieter; Navis, Gerjan J; Daha, Mohamed R; van Kooten, Cees; Lortat-Jacob, Hugues; Seelen, Marc A; van den Born, Jacob

2012-09-07

During proteinuria, renal tubular epithelial cells become exposed to ultrafiltrate-derived serum proteins, including complement factors. Recently, we showed that properdin binds to tubular heparan sulfates (HS). We now document that factor H also binds to tubular HS, although to a different epitope than properdin. Factor H was present on the urinary side of renal tubular cells in proteinuric, but not in normal renal tissues and colocalized with properdin in proteinuric kidneys. Factor H dose-dependently bound to proximal tubular epithelial cells (PTEC) in vitro. Preincubation of factor H with exogenous heparin and pretreatment of PTECs with heparitinase abolished the binding to PTECs. Surface plasmon resonance experiments showed high affinity of factor H for heparin and HS (K(D) values of 32 and 93 nm, respectively). Using a library of HS-like polysaccharides, we showed that chain length and high sulfation density are the most important determinants for glycosaminoglycan-factor H interaction and clearly differ from properdin-heparinoid interaction. Coincubation of properdin and factor H did not hamper HS/heparin binding of one another, indicating recognition of different nonoverlapping epitopes on HS/heparin by factor H and properdin. Finally we showed that certain low anticoagulant heparinoids can inhibit properdin binding to tubular HS, with a minor effect on factor H binding to tubular HS. As a result, these heparinoids can control the alternative complement pathway. In conclusion, factor H and properdin interact with different HS epitopes of PTECs. These interactions can be manipulated with some low anticoagulant heparinoids, which can be important for preventing complement-derived tubular injury in proteinuric renal diseases.

Genetics Home Reference: renal tubular dysgenesis

MedlinePlus

... genetic condition? Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center Frequency Renal tubular dysgenesis is a rare disorder, but ... of Medicine Lister Hill National Center for Biomedical Communications 8600 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20894, USA HONCode ...

Genetics Home Reference: tubular aggregate myopathy

MedlinePlus

... in both type I and type II fibers, forming clumps of tube-like structures called tubular aggregates. ... Hyun C, Woo JS, Park CS, Kim do H, Lee EH. Stromal interaction molecule 1 (STIM1) regulates ...

Bubble-Free Propulsion of Ultrasmall Tubular Nanojets Powered by Biocatalytic Reactions.

PubMed

Ma, Xing; Hortelao, Ana C; Miguel-López, Albert; Sánchez, Samuel

2016-10-26

The motion of self-propelled tubular micro- and nanojets has so far been achieved by bubble propulsion, e.g., O 2 bubbles formed by catalytic decomposition of H 2 O 2 , which renders future biomedical applications inviable. An alternative self-propulsion mechanism for tubular engines on the nanometer scale is still missing. Here, we report the fabrication and characterization of bubble-free propelled tubular nanojets (as small as 220 nm diameter), powered by an enzyme-triggered biocatalytic reaction using urea as fuel. We studied the translational and rotational dynamics of the nanojets as functions of the length and location of the enzymes. Introducing tracer nanoparticles into the system, we demonstrated the presence of an internal flow that extends into the external fluid via the cavity opening, leading to the self-propulsion. One-dimensional nanosize, longitudinal self-propulsion, and biocompatibility make the tubular nanojets promising for future biomedical applications.

Characterisation of human tubular cell monolayers as a model of proximal tubular xenobiotic handling

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

Brown, Colin D.A.; Sayer, Rachel; Windass, Amy S.

2008-12-15

The aim of this study was to determine whether primary human tubular cell monolayers could provide a powerful tool with which to investigate the renal proximal tubular handling of xenobiotics. Human proximal and distal tubule/collecting duct cells were grown as monolayers on permeable filter supports. After 10 days in culture, proximal tubule cells remained differentiated and expressed a wide palette of transporters at the mRNA level including NaPi-IIa, SGLT1, SGLT2, OCT2, OCTN2, OAT1, OAT3, OAT4, MDR1, MRP2 and BCRP. At the protein level, the expression of a subset of transporters including NaPi-IIa, OAT1 and OAT3 was demonstrated using immunohistochemistry. Analysismore » of the expression of the ATP binding cassette efflux pumps MDR1, MRP2 and BCRP confirmed their apical membrane localisation. At the functional level, tubule cell monolayers retain the necessary machinery to mediate the net secretion of the prototypic substrates; PAH and creatinine. PAH secretion across the monolayer consisted of the uptake of PAH across the basolateral membrane by OAT1 and OAT3 and the apical exit of PAH by a probenecid and MK571-sensitive route consistent with actions of MRP2 or MRP4. Creatinine secretion was by OCT2-mediated uptake at the basolateral membrane and via MDR1 at the apical membrane. Functional expression of MDR1 and BCRP at the apical membrane was also demonstrated using a Hoechst 33342 dye. Similarly, measurement of calcein efflux demonstrated the functional expression of MRP2 at the apical membrane of cell monolayers. In conclusion, human tubular cell monolayers provide a powerful tool to investigate renal xenobiotic handling.« less

Interferon-γ Reduces the Proliferation of Primed Human Renal Tubular Cells.

PubMed

García-Sánchez, Omar; López-Novoa, José Miguel; López-Hernández, Francisco J

2014-01-01

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a progressive deterioration of the kidney function, which may eventually lead to renal failure and the need for dialysis or kidney transplant. Whether initiated in the glomeruli or the tubuli, CKD is characterized by progressive nephron loss, for which the process of tubular deletion is of key importance. Tubular deletion results from tubular epithelial cell death and defective repair, leading to scarring of the renal parenchyma. Several cytokines and signaling pathways, including transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) and the Fas pathway, have been shown to participate in vivo in tubular cell death. However, there is some controversy about their mode of action, since a direct effect on normal tubular cells has not been demonstrated. We hypothesized that epithelial cells would require specific priming to become sensitive to TGF-β or Fas stimulation and that this priming would be brought about by specific mediators found in the pathological scenario. Herein we studied whether the combined effect of several stimuli known to take part in CKD progression, namely TGF-β, tumor necrosis factor-α, interferon-γ (IFN-γ), and Fas stimulation, on primed resistant human tubular cells caused cell death or reduced proliferation. We demonstrate that these cytokines have no synergistic effect on the proliferation or viability of human kidney (HK2) cells. We also demonstrate that IFN-γ, but not the other stimuli, reduces the proliferation of cycloheximide-primed HK2 cells without affecting their viability. Our results point at a potentially important role of IFN-γ in defective repair, leading to nephron loss during CKD.

The Late Cambrian Takaka Terrane, NW Nelson, New Zealand: Accretionary-prism development and arc collision followed by extension and fan-delta deposition at the SE margin of Gondwana

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pound, K. S.

2013-12-01

convergence, but is reinterpreted here as a ';true' fan-delta deposit, sedimentologically similar to deposits associated with extension. Textural and compositional data for the Lockett Conglomerate indicates rapid supply of new material (including quartzite, granite, gabbro, and amphibolitic metavolcanics). The Lockett Conglomerate is proposed here to record the initiation of extension, during which basement faults in the hinterland exposed previously buried source rocks. This new interpretation of the Lockett Conglomerate places that initiation of extension and subsequent passive margin sedimentation (Mt. Ellis and Mt. Arthur Groups) earlier (late Middle Cambrian) than previous work has suggested (Late Cambrian or Early Ordovician). These new interpretations provide input useful for correlations and interpretations of the complex mosaic that preserves a record of tectonic activity and processes at the Antarctic, Tasmanian and SE Australian portions of the Cambrian Gondwana margin.

Self-recognition and Ca2+-dependent carbohydrate-carbohydrate cell adhesion provide clues to the cambrian explosion.

PubMed

Fernàndez-Busquets, Xavier; Körnig, André; Bucior, Iwona; Burger, Max M; Anselmetti, Dario

2009-11-01

The Cambrian explosion of life was a relatively short period approximately 540 Ma that marked a generalized acceleration in the evolution of most animal phyla, but the trigger of this key biological event remains elusive. Sponges are the oldest extant Precambrian metazoan phylum and thus a valid model to study factors that could have unleashed the rise of multicellular animals. One such factor is the advent of self-/non-self-recognition systems, which would be evolutionarily beneficial to organisms to prevent germ-cell parasitism or the introduction of deleterious mutations resulting from fusion with genetically different individuals. However, the molecules responsible for allorecognition probably evolved gradually before the Cambrian period, and some other (external) factor remains to be identified as the missing triggering event. Sponge cells associate through calcium-dependent, multivalent carbohydrate-carbohydrate interactions of the g200 glycan found on extracellular proteoglycans. Single molecule force spectroscopy analysis of g200-g200 binding indicates that calcium affects the lifetime (+Ca/-Ca: 680 s/3 s) and bond reaction length (+Ca/-Ca: 3.47 A/2.27 A). Calculation of mean g200 dissociation times in low and high calcium within the theoretical framework of a cooperative binding model indicates the nonlinear and divergent characteristics leading to either disaggregated cells or stable multicellular assemblies, respectively. This fundamental phenomenon can explain a switch from weak to strong adhesion between primitive metazoan cells caused by the well-documented rise in ocean calcium levels at the end of Precambrian time. We propose that stronger cell adhesion allowed the integrity of genetically uniform animals composed only of "self" cells, facilitating genetic constitutions to remain within the metazoan individual and be passed down inheritance lines. The Cambrian explosion might have been triggered by the coincidence in time of primitive animals

Intragraft expression of the IL-10 gene is up-regulated in renal protocol biopsies with early interstitial fibrosis, tubular atrophy, and subclinical rejection.

PubMed

Hueso, Miguel; Navarro, Estanis; Moreso, Francesc; O'Valle, Francisco; Pérez-Riba, Mercè; Del Moral, Raimundo García; Grinyó, Josep M; Serón, Daniel

2010-04-01

Grafts with subclinical rejection associated with interstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy (SCR+IF/TA) show poorer survival than grafts with subclinical rejection without IF/TA (SCR). Aiming to detect differences among SCR+IF/TA and SCR, we immunophenotyped the inflammatory infiltrate (CD45, CD3, CD20, CD68) and used a low-density array to determine levels of T(H)1 (interleukin IL-2, IL-3, gamma-interferon, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, lymphotoxin-alpha, lymphotoxin-beta, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor) and T(H)2 (IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-10, and IL-13) transcripts as well as of IL-2R (as marker for T-cell activation) in 31 protocol biopsies of renal allografts. Here we show that grafts with early IF/TA and SCR can be distinguished from grafts with SCR on the basis of the activation of IL-10 gene expression and of an increased infiltration by B-lymphocytes in a cellular context in which the degree of T-cell activation is similar in both groups of biopsies, as demonstrated by equivalent levels of IL-2R mRNA. These results suggest that the up-regulation of the IL-10 gene expression, as well as an increased proportion of B-lymphocytes in the inflammatory infiltrates, might be useful as markers of early chronic lesions in grafts with SCR.

Intragraft Expression of the IL-10 Gene Is Up-Regulated in Renal Protocol Biopsies with Early Interstitial Fibrosis, Tubular Atrophy, and Subclinical Rejection

PubMed Central

Hueso, Miguel; Navarro, Estanis; Moreso, Francesc; O'Valle, Francisco; Pérez-Riba, Mercè; del Moral, Raimundo García; Grinyó, Josep M.; Serón, Daniel

2010-01-01

Grafts with subclinical rejection associated with interstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy (SCR+IF/TA) show poorer survival than grafts with subclinical rejection without IF/TA (SCR). Aiming to detect differences among SCR+IF/TA and SCR, we immunophenotyped the inflammatory infiltrate (CD45, CD3, CD20, CD68) and used a low-density array to determine levels of TH1 (interleukin IL-2, IL-3, γ-interferon, tumor necrosis factor-α, lymphotoxin-α, lymphotoxin-β, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor) and TH2 (IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-10, and IL-13) transcripts as well as of IL-2R (as marker for T-cell activation) in 31 protocol biopsies of renal allografts. Here we show that grafts with early IF/TA and SCR can be distinguished from grafts with SCR on the basis of the activation of IL-10 gene expression and of an increased infiltration by B-lymphocytes in a cellular context in which the degree of T-cell activation is similar in both groups of biopsies, as demonstrated by equivalent levels of IL-2R mRNA. These results suggest that the up-regulation of the IL-10 gene expression, as well as an increased proportion of B-lymphocytes in the inflammatory infiltrates, might be useful as markers of early chronic lesions in grafts with SCR. PMID:20150436

[Acute renal failure and proximal renal tubular dysfuntion in a patient with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome treated with tenofovir].

PubMed

de la Prada, F J; Prados, A M; Tugores, A; Uriol, M; Saus, C; Morey, A

2006-01-01

Tenofovir, a new nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitor that has good antiviral activity against drug-resistant strains of HIV, is structurally similar to cidofovir and adefovir and seems to be less nephrotoxic. Nephrotoxicity of cidofovir and adefovir is well established and they have been associated with increase for acute renal insufficiency due to tubular toxicity, possibly induced via mitochondrial deplection. Tenofovir has little mithocondrial toxicity in in vitro assays and early clinical studies. However some cases of renal tubular dysfuntion and renal failure related to tenofovir treatment have been published recently. Increased plasma concentrations of didanosine were observed after the adition of tenofovir and protease inhibitors can interact with the renal transport of organic anions leading to proximal tubular intracellular accumulation of tenofovir, yield Fanconi syndrome-type tubulopathy. We present a case in wich acute renal failure and proximal tubular dysfunction developed after therapy with tenofovir in a patiente with HIV who had suffered from complications of didanosine treatment. Although nephrotoxicity certainly occurs much less frequently with tenofovir that it does with other nuclotide analogues, use of tenofovir by patients with underlying renal disfuntion, for longer durations and/or associated with didanosine or lopinavir-ritonavir, might be associated with renal toxicity. Patients receiving tenofovir must be monitored for sings of tubulopathy with simple tests such us glycosuria, phosphaturia, proteinuria, phosphoremia and renal function, as well as assessment for signs of mithocondrial toxicity when a nucleoside analogue is being administered, and therapy should be stopped to avoid the risk of definitive renal failure.

Cambrian archaeocyathan metazoans: revision of morphological characters and standardization of genus descriptions to establish an online identification tool.

PubMed Central

Kerner, Adeline; Debrenne, Françoise; Vignes-Lebbe, Régine

2011-01-01

Abstract Archaeocyatha represent the oldest calcified sponges and the first metazoans to build bioconstructions in association with calcimicrobes. They are a key group in biology, evolutionary studies, biostratigraphy, paleoecology and paleogeography of the early Cambrian times. The establishing of a new standardized terminology for archaeocyathans description has permitted the creation of the first knowledge base in English including descriptions of all archaeocyathan genera. This base, using the XPER² software package, is an integral part of the -Archaeocyatha- a knowledge base website, freely available at url http://www.infosyslab.fr/archaeocyatha. The website is composed of common information about Archaeocyatha, general remarks about the knowledge base, the description of the 307 genera recognized with images of type-specimens of type-species for each genus, as well as additional morphological data, an interactive free access key and its user guide. The automatic analysis and comparison of the digitized descriptions have identified some genera with highly similar morphology. These results are a great help for future taxonomic revisions and suggest a number of possible synonymies that require further study. PMID:22207818

Developmental changes in renal tubular transport - An overview

PubMed Central

Gattineni, Jyothsna; Baum, Michel

2013-01-01

The adult kidney maintains a constant volume and composition of extracellular fluid despite changes in water and salt intake. The neonate is born with a kidney that has a small fraction of the glomerular filtration rate of the adult and immature tubules that function at a lower capacity than that of the mature animal. None the less, the neonate is also able to maintain a constant extracellular fluid volume and composition. Postnatal renal tubular development was once thought to be due to an increase in the transporter abundance to meet the developmental increase in glomerular filtration rate. However, postnatal renal development of each nephron segment is quite complex. There are isoform changes of several transporters as well as developmental changes in signal transduction that affect the capacity of renal tubules to reabsorb solutes and water. This review will discuss neonatal tubular function with an emphasis on the differences that have been found between the neonate and adult. We will also discuss some of the factors that are responsible for the maturational changes in tubular transport that occur during postnatal renal development. PMID:24253590

Developmental changes in renal tubular transport-an overview.

PubMed

Gattineni, Jyothsna; Baum, Michel

2015-12-01

The adult kidney maintains a constant volume and composition of extracellular fluid despite changes in water and salt intake. The neonate is born with a kidney that has a small fraction of the glomerular filtration rate of the adult and immature tubules that function at a lower capacity than that of the mature animal. Nonetheless, the neonate is also able to maintain a constant extracellular fluid volume and composition. Postnatal renal tubular development was once thought to be due to an increase in the transporter abundance to meet the developmental increase in glomerular filtration rate. However, postnatal renal development of each nephron segment is quite complex. There are isoform changes of several transporters as well as developmental changes in signal transduction that affect the capacity of renal tubules to reabsorb solutes and water. This review will discuss neonatal tubular function with an emphasis on the differences that have been found between the neonate and adult. We will also discuss some of the factors that are responsible for the maturational changes in tubular transport that occur during postnatal renal development.

Boron--epoxy tubular structure members

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shakespeare, W. B. J.; Nelson, P. T.; Lindkvist, E. C.

1973-01-01

Composite materials fabricate thin-walled tubular members which have same load-carrying capabilities as aluminum, titanium, or other metals, but are lighter. Interface between stepped end fitting and tube lends itself to attachments by primary as well as secondary bonding. Interlaminar shear and hoop stress buildup in attachment at end fitting is avoided.

Characterization of the Lower Cambrian sandstone aquifer in the Swedish Baltic Sea area - assessment regarding its potential suitability for storage of CO2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Erlström, M.; Sivhed, U.

2012-04-01

In the Baltic region the Cambrian sandstone is considered to have great economic value concerning its aquifer and reservoir properties. Its potential as petroleum reservoir is well known, especially from the Polish, Lithuanian and Russian sectors of the Baltic Sea where oil and gas has been found in anticline traps in the sandstone sequence. Offshore exploration in the Swedish sector has so far not encountered any significant findings of oil and gas. However, the extensive exploration has generated data, which is now being used for assessing the overall properties regarding suitability for storage of CO2. The Swedish primary industry has a great interest in finding potential sites for storage of CO2. A suitable site in the Baltic Sea would be a most favourable alternative in comparison to more remote alternatives such as deep saline aquifers in the North Sea. The Lower Cambrian is in the Swedish sector of the Baltic Sea composed of three main sandstone units varying in thickness between 5 and 50 m occurring within an up to 250 m thick Cambrian sequence dominated by fine-grained terriclastic sediments. The limit of Lower Palaeozoic sequence in the Baltic area is today defined by erosional truncation because of the gently dipping Lower Palaeozoic sequence. To the north and northwest, the limit is found in the Pre-Quaternary, whereas the erosional limit is deeply buried beneath Permian and Mesozoic sediments to the south. Here the Lower Palaeozoic limit is buried to depths reaching more than 2 km. The Cambrian sequence in the distal parts of the Swedish sector occurs at depths of c. 1300 m while it constitutes the bedrock surface in a narrow zone trending from Öland to the north of of Gotland. Sandstone beds constitute 40-60% of the total Cambrian sequence. The main sandstone units have a regional distribution of several thousands of square kilometres. The up to 50 m thick Faludden sandstone member exhibits the best reservoir properties including porosities in the

Oxygenation history of the Neoproterozoic to early Phanerozoic and the rise of land plants

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wallace, Malcolm W.; Hood, Ashleigh vS.; Shuster, Alice; Greig, Alan; Planavsky, Noah J.; Reed, Christopher P.

2017-05-01

There has been extensive debate about the history of Earth's oxygenation and the role that land plant evolution played in shaping Earth's ocean-atmosphere system. Here we use the rare earth element patterns in marine carbonates to monitor the structure of the marine redox landscape through the rise and diversification of animals and early land plants. In particular, we use the relative abundance of cerium (Ceanom), the only redox-sensitive rare earth element, in well-preserved marine cements and other marine precipitates to track seawater oxygen levels. Our results indicate that there was only a moderate increase in oceanic oxygenation during the Ediacaran (average Cryogenian Ceanom = 1.1, average Ediacaran Ceanom = 0.62), followed by a decrease in oxygen levels during the early Cambrian (average Cryogenian Ceanom = 0.90), with significant ocean anoxia persisting through the early and mid Paleozoic (average Early Cambrian-Early Devonian Ceanom = 0.84). It was not until the Late Devonian that oxygenation levels are comparable to the modern (average of all post-middle Devonian Ceanom = 0.55). Therefore, this work confirms growing evidence that the oxygenation of the Earth was neither unidirectional nor a simple two-stage process. Further, we provide evidence that it was not until the Late Devonian, when large land plants and forests first evolved, that oxygen levels reached those comparable to the modern world. This is recorded with the first modern-like negative Ceanom (values <0.6) occurring at around 380 Ma (Frasnian). This suggests that land plants, rather than animals, are the 'engineers' responsible for the modern fully oxygenated Earth system.

Method and tool for contracting tubular members by electro-hydraulic forming before hydroforming

DOEpatents

Golovashchenko, Sergey Fedorovich [Beverly Hills, MI

2011-03-15

A tubular preform is contracted in an electro-hydraulic forming operation. The tubular preform is wrapped with one or more coils of wire and placed in a chamber of an electro-hydraulic forming tool. The electro-hydraulic forming tool is discharged to form a compressed area on a portion of the tube. The tube is then placed in a hydroforming tool that expands the tubular preform to form a part.

Interferon-γ Reduces the Proliferation of Primed Human Renal Tubular Cells

PubMed Central

García-Sánchez, Omar; López-Novoa, José Miguel; López-Hernández, Francisco J.

2014-01-01

Background/Aims Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a progressive deterioration of the kidney function, which may eventually lead to renal failure and the need for dialysis or kidney transplant. Whether initiated in the glomeruli or the tubuli, CKD is characterized by progressive nephron loss, for which the process of tubular deletion is of key importance. Tubular deletion results from tubular epithelial cell death and defective repair, leading to scarring of the renal parenchyma. Several cytokines and signaling pathways, including transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) and the Fas pathway, have been shown to participate in vivo in tubular cell death. However, there is some controversy about their mode of action, since a direct effect on normal tubular cells has not been demonstrated. We hypothesized that epithelial cells would require specific priming to become sensitive to TGF-β or Fas stimulation and that this priming would be brought about by specific mediators found in the pathological scenario. Methods Herein we studied whether the combined effect of several stimuli known to take part in CKD progression, namely TGF-β, tumor necrosis factor-α, interferon-γ (IFN-γ), and Fas stimulation, on primed resistant human tubular cells caused cell death or reduced proliferation. Results We demonstrate that these cytokines have no synergistic effect on the proliferation or viability of human kidney (HK2) cells. We also demonstrate that IFN-γ, but not the other stimuli, reduces the proliferation of cycloheximide-primed HK2 cells without affecting their viability. Conclusion Our results point at a potentially important role of IFN-γ in defective repair, leading to nephron loss during CKD. PMID:24575118

Curcumin suppresses AGEs induced apoptosis in tubular epithelial cells via protective autophagy

PubMed Central

Wei, Ying; Gao, Jiaqi; Qin, Lingling; Xu, Yunling; Shi, Haoxia; Qu, Lingxia; Liu, Yongqiao; Xu, Tunhai; Liu, Tonghua

2017-01-01

Renal tubular cell apoptosis and tubular dysfunction is an important process underlying diabetic nephropathy (DN). Understanding the mechanisms underlying renal tubular epithelial cell survival is important for the prevention of kidney damage associated with glucotoxicity. Curcumin has been demonstrated to possess potent anti-apoptotic properties. However, the roles of curcumin in renal epithelial cells are yet to be defined. The present study investigated advanced glycation or glycoxidation end-product (AGE)-induced toxicity in renal tubular epithelial cells via several complementary assays, including cell viability, cell apoptosis and cell autophagy in the NRK-52E rat kidney tubular epithelial cell line. The extent of apoptosis was significantly increased in the NRK-52E cells following treatment with AGEs. The results also indicated that curcumin reversed this effect by promoting autophagy through the phosphoinositide 3-kinase/AKT serine/threonine kinase signaling pathway. These conclusions suggested that curcumin exerts a renoprotective effect in the presence of AGEs, at least in part by activating autophagy in NRK-52E cells. Collectively, these findings indicate that curcumin not only exerts renoprotective effects, however may also act as a novel therapeutic strategy for the treatment of diabetic nephropathy. PMID:29285156

Tubular Tissues and Organs of Human Body--Challenges in Regenerative Medicine.

PubMed

Góra, Aleksander; Pliszka, Damian; Mukherjee, Shayanti; Ramakrishna, Seeram

2016-01-01

Tissue engineering of tubular organs such as the blood vessel, trachea gastrointestinal tract, urinary tract are of the great interest due to the high amount of surgeries performed annually on those organs. Development in tissue engineering in recent years and promising results, showed need to investigate more complex constructs that need to be designed in special manner. Stent technology remain the most widely used procedure to restore functions of tubular tissues after cancer treatment, or after organ removal due to traumatic accidents. Tubular structures like blood vessels, intestines, and trachea have to work in specific environment at the boundary of the liquids, solids or air and surrounding tissues and ensure suitable separation between them. This brings additional challenges in tissue engineering science in order to construct complete organs by using combinations of various cells along with the support material systems. Here we give a comprehensive review of the tubular structures of the human body, in perspective of the current methods of treatment and progress in regenerative medicine that aims to develop fully functioning organs of tubular shape. Extensive analysis of the available literature has been done focusing on materials and methods of creations of such organs. This work describes the attempts to incorporate growth factors and drugs within the scaffolds to ensure localized drug release and enhance vascularization of the organ by attracting blood vessels to the site of implantation.

VCP-dependent muscle degeneration is linked to defects in a dynamic tubular lysosomal network in vivo

PubMed Central

Johnson, Alyssa E; Shu, Huidy; Hauswirth, Anna G; Tong, Amy; Davis, Graeme W

2015-01-01

Lysosomes are classically viewed as vesicular structures to which cargos are delivered for degradation. Here, we identify a network of dynamic, tubular lysosomes that extends throughout Drosophila muscle, in vivo. Live imaging reveals that autophagosomes merge with tubular lysosomes and that lysosomal membranes undergo extension, retraction, fusion and fission. The dynamics and integrity of this tubular lysosomal network requires VCP, an AAA-ATPase that, when mutated, causes degenerative diseases of muscle, bone and neurons. We show that human VCP rescues the defects caused by loss of Drosophila VCP and overexpression of disease relevant VCP transgenes dismantles tubular lysosomes, linking tubular lysosome dysfunction to human VCP-related diseases. Finally, disruption of tubular lysosomes correlates with impaired autophagosome-lysosome fusion, increased cytoplasmic poly-ubiquitin aggregates, lipofuscin material, damaged mitochondria and impaired muscle function. We propose that VCP sustains sarcoplasmic proteostasis, in part, by controlling the integrity of a dynamic tubular lysosomal network. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.07366.001 PMID:26167652

Endocytosis of wheat germ agglutinin binding sites from the cell surface into a tubular endosomal network.

PubMed

Raub, T J; Koroly, M J; Roberts, R M

1990-04-01

By using fluorescence and electron microscopy, the endocytic pathway encountered by cell surface components after they had bound wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) was visualized. The majority of these components are thought to consist of sialylated glycoproteins (HMWAG) that represent a subpopulation of the total cell surface proteins but most of the externally disposed plasma membrane proteins of the cell. Examination of semi-thin sections by medium- and high-voltage electron microscopy revealed the three-dimensional organization of vesicular and tubular endosomes. Binding of either fluorescein isothiocyanate-, horseradish peroxidase-, or ferritin-conjugated WGA to cells at 4 degrees C showed that the HMWAG were distributed uniformly over the cell surface. Warming of surface-labeled cells to 37 degrees C resulted in the endocytosis of WGA into peripheral endosomes via invagination of regions of both coated and uncoated membrane. The peripheral endosome appeared as isolated complexes comprising a vesicular element (300-400 nm diam.) surrounded by and continuous with tubular cisternae (45-60 nm diam.), which did not interconnect the endosomes. After 30 min or more label also became localized in a network of anastomosing tubules (45-60 nm diam.) that were located in the centrosomal region of the cell. Endocytosed WGA-HMWAG complexes did not become associated with cisternae of the Golgi apparatus, although tubular and vesicular endosomes were noted in the vicinity of the trans-Golgi region. The accumulation of WGA-HMWAG in the endosomes within the centrosomal region was inhibited when cells were incubated at 18 degrees C. None of these compartments contained acid phosphatase activity, a result that is consistent with other data that the HMWAG do not pass through lysosomes initially. The kinetics of labeling were consistent with the interpretation that recycling of most of the WGA binding surface glycoproteins occurred rapidly from early peripheral endosomes followed by the

A narrow open tubular column for high efficiency liquid chromatographic separation

DOE PAGES

Chen, Huang; Yang, Yu; Qiao, Zhenzhen; ...

2018-01-01

We report a great feature of open tubular liquid chromatography when it is run using an extremely narrow ( e.g. , 2 μm inner diameter) open tubular column: more than 10 million plates per meter can be achieved in less than 10 min and under an elution pressure of ca. 20 bar.

A narrow open tubular column for high efficiency liquid chromatographic separation

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

Chen, Huang; Yang, Yu; Qiao, Zhenzhen

We report a great feature of open tubular liquid chromatography when it is run using an extremely narrow ( e.g. , 2 μm inner diameter) open tubular column: more than 10 million plates per meter can be achieved in less than 10 min and under an elution pressure of ca. 20 bar.

Emergent patterns of collective cell migration under tubular confinement.

PubMed

Xi, Wang; Sonam, Surabhi; Beng Saw, Thuan; Ladoux, Benoit; Teck Lim, Chwee

2017-11-15

Collective epithelial behaviors are essential for the development of lumens in organs. However, conventional assays of planar systems fail to replicate cell cohorts of tubular structures that advance in concerted ways on out-of-plane curved and confined surfaces, such as ductal elongation in vivo. Here, we mimic such coordinated tissue migration by forming lumens of epithelial cell sheets inside microtubes of 1-10 cell lengths in diameter. We show that these cell tubes reproduce the physiological apical-basal polarity, and have actin alignment, cell orientation, tissue organization, and migration modes that depend on the extent of tubular confinement and/or curvature. In contrast to flat constraint, the cell sheets in a highly constricted smaller microtube demonstrate slow motion with periodic relaxation, but fast overall movement in large microtubes. Altogether, our findings provide insights into the emerging migratory modes for epithelial migration and growth under tubular confinement, which are reminiscent of the in vivo scenario.

HER-2 amplification in tubular carcinoma of the breast.

PubMed

Oakley, Gerard J; Tubbs, Raymond R; Crowe, Joseph; Sebek, Bruce; Budd, G Thomas; Patrick, Rebecca J; Procop, Gary W

2006-07-01

The prognostic and therapeutic implications of HER-2 gene amplification and estrogen and progesterone receptor status in breast cancer are well described. To address the relative paucity of information concerning HER-2 amplification for tubular carcinomas, we assessed the frequency of gene amplification in 55 tubular carcinomas of the breast from 54 patients, 5 of which had axillary node metastases. The HER-2 gene copy number was assessed by fluorescence in situ hybridization for the majority of tumors analyzed, whereas estrogen and progesterone receptor status was achieved by immunohistochemical analysis. HER-2 gene amplification was not observed in any of the tumors examined, and most were estrogen receptor-positive. This HER-2 gene amplification frequency was significantly lower than the frequency of gene amplification previously reported for all invasive ductal carcinoma of no special type (P < .01). HER-2 gene amplification likely occurs infrequently, or not at all, in tubular carcinomas of the breast, whereas most express estrogen receptors.

Biostratigraphy and chronostratigraphy of the Cambrian-Ordovician great American carbonate bank

USGS Publications Warehouse

Taylor, John F.; Repetski, John E.; Loch, James D.; Leslie, Stephen A.

2012-01-01

The carbonate strata of the great American carbonate bank (GACB) have been subdivided and correlated with ever-increasing precision and accuracy during the past half century through use of the dominant organisms that evolved on the Laurentian platform through the Cambrian and the Ordovician. Trilobites and conodonts remain the primary groups used for this purpose, although brachiopods, both calcareous and phosphatic, and graptolites are very important in certain facies and intervals. A series of charts show the chronostratigraphic units (series and stages) currently in use for deposits of the GACB and the biostratigraphic units (zones, subzones, and biomeres) whose boundaries delineate them. Older and, in some cases obsolete, stages and faunal units are included in the figures to allow users to relate information from previous publications and/or industry databases to modern units. This chapter also provides a brief discussion on the use of biostratigraphy in the recognition and interregional correlation of supersequence boundaries within the Sauk and Tippecanoe megasequences, and the varied perspectives on the nature of biostratigraphic units and their defining taxa during the past half century. Also included are a concise update on the biomere concept, and an explanation of the biostratigraphic consequences of a profound change in the dynamics of extinction and replacement that occurred on the GACB in the Early Ordovician when the factors responsible for platformwide biomere-type extinctions faded and ultimately disappeared. A final section addresses recent and pending refinements in the genus and species taxonomy of biostratigraphically significant fossil groups, the potential they hold for greatly improved correlation, and the obstacles to be overcome for that potential to be realized.

Expanded plug method for developing circumferential mechanical properties of tubular materials

DOEpatents

Hendrich, William Ray; McAfee, Wallace Jefferson; Luttrell, Claire Roberta

2006-11-28

A method for determining the circumferential properties of a tubular product, especially nuclear fuel cladding, utilizes compression of a polymeric plug within the tubular product to determine strain stress, yield stress and other properties. The process is especially useful in the determination of aging properties such as fuel rod embrittlement after long burn-down.

Three Cambrian fossils assembled into an extinct body plan of cnidarian affinity.

PubMed

Ou, Qiang; Han, Jian; Zhang, Zhifei; Shu, Degan; Sun, Ge; Mayer, Georg

2017-08-15

The early Cambrian problematica Xianguangia sinica , Chengjiangopenna wangii , and Galeaplumosus abilus from the Chengjiang biota (Yunnan, China) have caused much controversy in the past and their phylogenetic placements remain unresolved. Here we show, based on exceptionally preserved material (85 new specimens plus type material), that specimens previously assigned to these three species are in fact parts of the same organism and propose that C. wangii and G. abilus are junior synonyms of X. sinica Our reconstruction of the complete animal reveals an extinct body plan that combines the characteristics of the three described species and is distinct from all known fossil and living taxa. This animal resembled a cnidarian polyp in overall morphology and having a gastric cavity partitioned by septum-like structures. However, it possessed an additional body cavity within its holdfast, an anchoring pit on the basal disk, and feather-like tentacles with densely ciliated pinnules arranged in an alternating pattern, indicating that it was a suspension feeder rather than a predatory actiniarian. Phylogenetic analyses using Bayesian inference and maximum parsimony suggest that X. sinica is a stem-group cnidarian. This relationship implies that the last common ancestor of X. sinica and crown cnidarians was probably a benthic, polypoid animal with a partitioned gastric cavity and a single mouth/anus opening. This extinct body plan suggests that feeding strategies of stem cnidarians may have been drastically different from that of their crown relatives, which are almost exclusively predators, and reveals that the morphological disparity of total-group Cnidaria is greater than previously assumed.

Three Cambrian fossils assembled into an extinct body plan of cnidarian affinity

PubMed Central

Ou, Qiang; Han, Jian; Zhang, Zhifei; Shu, Degan; Sun, Ge; Mayer, Georg

2017-01-01

The early Cambrian problematica Xianguangia sinica, Chengjiangopenna wangii, and Galeaplumosus abilus from the Chengjiang biota (Yunnan, China) have caused much controversy in the past and their phylogenetic placements remain unresolved. Here we show, based on exceptionally preserved material (85 new specimens plus type material), that specimens previously assigned to these three species are in fact parts of the same organism and propose that C. wangii and G. abilus are junior synonyms of X. sinica. Our reconstruction of the complete animal reveals an extinct body plan that combines the characteristics of the three described species and is distinct from all known fossil and living taxa. This animal resembled a cnidarian polyp in overall morphology and having a gastric cavity partitioned by septum-like structures. However, it possessed an additional body cavity within its holdfast, an anchoring pit on the basal disk, and feather-like tentacles with densely ciliated pinnules arranged in an alternating pattern, indicating that it was a suspension feeder rather than a predatory actiniarian. Phylogenetic analyses using Bayesian inference and maximum parsimony suggest that X. sinica is a stem-group cnidarian. This relationship implies that the last common ancestor of X. sinica and crown cnidarians was probably a benthic, polypoid animal with a partitioned gastric cavity and a single mouth/anus opening. This extinct body plan suggests that feeding strategies of stem cnidarians may have been drastically different from that of their crown relatives, which are almost exclusively predators, and reveals that the morphological disparity of total-group Cnidaria is greater than previously assumed. PMID:28760981

Sedimentary facies of the upper Cambrian (Furongian; Jiangshanian and Sunwaptan) Tunnel City Group, Upper Mississippi Valley: new insight on the old stormy debate

USGS Publications Warehouse

Eoff, Jennifer D.

2014-01-01

New data from detailed measured sections permit a comprehensive revision of the sedimentary facies of the Furongian (upper Cambrian; Jiangshanian and Sunwaptan stages) Tunnel City Group (Lone Rock Formation and Mazomanie Formation) of Wisconsin and Minnesota. Heterogeneous sandstones, comprising seven lithofacies along a depositional transect from shoreface to transitional-offshore environments, record sedimentation in a storm-dominated, shallow-marine epicontinental sea. The origin of glauconite in the Birkmose Member and Reno Member of the Lone Rock Formation was unclear, but its formation and preserved distribution are linked to inferred depositional energy rather than just net sedimentation rate. Flat-pebble conglomerate, abundant in lower Paleozoic strata, was associated with the formation of a condensed section during cratonic flooding. Hummocky cross-stratification was a valuable tool used to infer depositional settings and relative paleobathymetry, and the model describing formation of this bedform is expanded to address flow types dominant during its genesis, in particular the importance of an early unidirectional component of combined flow. The depositional model developed here for the Lone Rock Formation and Mazomanie Formation is broadly applicable to other strata common to the early Paleozoic that document sedimentation along flooded cratonic interiors or shallow shelves.

Origin of northern Gondwana Cambrian sandstone revealed by detrital zircon SHRIMP dating

USGS Publications Warehouse

Avigad, D.; Kolodner, K.; McWilliams, M.; Persing, H.; Weissbrod, T.

2003-01-01

Voluminous Paleozoic sandstone sequences were deposited in northern Africa and Arabia following an extended Neoproterozoic orogenic cycle that culminated in the assembly of Gondwana. We measured sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe (SHRIMP) U-Pb ages of detrital zircons separated from several Cambrian units in the Elat area of southern Israel in order to unravel their provenance. This sandstone forms the base of the widespread siliciclastic section now exposed on the periphery of the Arabian-Nubian shield in northeastern Africa and Arabia. Most of the detrital zircons we analyzed yielded Neoproterozoic concordant ages with a marked concentration at 0.55–0.65 Ga. The most likely provenance of the Neoproterozoic detritus is the Arabian-Nubian shield; 0.55–0.65 Ga was a time of posttectonic igneous activity, rift-related volcanism, and strike-slip faulting there. Of the zircons, 30% yielded pre-Neoproterozoic ages grouped at 0.9–1.1 Ga (Kibaran), 1.65–1.85 Ga, and 2.45–2.7 Ga. The majority of the pre-Neoproterozoic zircons underwent Pb loss, possibly as a consequence of the Pan-African orogeny resetting their provenance. Rocks of the Saharan metacraton and the southern Afif terrane in Saudi Arabia (∼1000 km south of Elat) are plausible sources of these zircons. Kibaran basement rocks are currently exposed more than 3000 km south of Elat (flanking the Mozambique belt), but the shape of the detrital zircons of that age and the presence of feldspar in the host sandstone are not fully consistent with such a long-distance transport. Reworking of Neoproteorozoic glacial detritus may explain the presence of Kibaran detrital zircons in the Cambrian of Elat, but the possibility that the Arabian-Nubian shield contains Kibaran rocks (hitherto not recognized) should also be explored.

Plastic deformation of tubular crystals by dislocation glide.

PubMed

Beller, Daniel A; Nelson, David R

2016-09-01

Tubular crystals, two-dimensional lattices wrapped into cylindrical topologies, arise in many contexts, including botany and biofilaments, and in physical systems such as carbon nanotubes. The geometrical principles of botanical phyllotaxis, describing the spiral packings on cylinders commonly found in nature, have found application in all these systems. Several recent studies have examined defects in tubular crystals associated with crystalline packings that must accommodate a fixed tube radius. Here we study the mechanics of tubular crystals with variable tube radius, with dislocations interposed between regions of different phyllotactic packings. Unbinding and separation of dislocation pairs with equal and opposite Burgers vectors allow the growth of one phyllotactic domain at the expense of another. In particular, glide separation of dislocations offers a low-energy mode for plastic deformations of solid tubes in response to external stresses, reconfiguring the lattice step by step. Through theory and simulation, we examine how the tube's radius and helicity affects, and is in turn altered by, the mechanics of dislocation glide. We also discuss how a sufficiently strong bending rigidity can alter or arrest the deformations of tubes with small radii.

Band gap in tubular pillar phononic crystal plate.

PubMed

Shu, Fengfeng; Liu, Yongshun; Wu, Junfeng; Wu, Yihui

2016-09-01

In this paper, a phononic crystal (PC) plate with tubular pillars is presented and investigated. The band structures and mode displacement profiles are calculated by using finite element method. The result shows that a complete band gap opens when the ratio of the pillar height to the plate thickness is about 1.6. However, for classic cylinder pillar structures, a band gap opens when the ratio is equal or greater than 3. A tubular pillar design with a void room in it enhances acoustic multiple scattering and gives rise to the opening of the band gap. In order to verify it, a PC structure with double tubular pillars different in size (one within the other) is introduced and a more than 2times band gap enlargement is observed. Furthermore, the coupling between the resonant mode and the plate mode around the band gap is characterized, as well as the effect of the geometrical parameters on the band gap. The behavior of such structure could be utilized to design a pillar PC with stronger structural stability and to enlarge band gaps. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Plastic deformation of tubular crystals by dislocation glide

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beller, Daniel A.; Nelson, David R.

2016-09-01

Tubular crystals, two-dimensional lattices wrapped into cylindrical topologies, arise in many contexts, including botany and biofilaments, and in physical systems such as carbon nanotubes. The geometrical principles of botanical phyllotaxis, describing the spiral packings on cylinders commonly found in nature, have found application in all these systems. Several recent studies have examined defects in tubular crystals associated with crystalline packings that must accommodate a fixed tube radius. Here we study the mechanics of tubular crystals with variable tube radius, with dislocations interposed between regions of different phyllotactic packings. Unbinding and separation of dislocation pairs with equal and opposite Burgers vectors allow the growth of one phyllotactic domain at the expense of another. In particular, glide separation of dislocations offers a low-energy mode for plastic deformations of solid tubes in response to external stresses, reconfiguring the lattice step by step. Through theory and simulation, we examine how the tube's radius and helicity affects, and is in turn altered by, the mechanics of dislocation glide. We also discuss how a sufficiently strong bending rigidity can alter or arrest the deformations of tubes with small radii.

Central diabetes insipidus, central hypothyroidism, renal tubular acidosis and dandy-walker syndrome: new associations.

PubMed

Alafif, M M; Aljaid, S S; Al-Agha, A E

2015-01-01

Dandy-Walker syndrome (DWS) is a rare brain malformation involving the cerebellum, and the fluid filled spaces around it, usually detected during the antenatal period or the early infancy. Clinically, it is characterized by mental retardation, developmental delay as well as cerebellar ataxia. It has been frequently associated with other conditions such as congenital heart diseases, primary hypothyroidism, and other disorders of the central nervous, gastrointestinal, genitourinary, and orthopedic systems. In this report, we describe a 3-month-old Saudi boy with the rare association of DWS with central diabetes insipidus, congenital central hypothyroidism, and type-2 renal tubular acidosis.

Central Diabetes Insipidus, Central Hypothyroidism, Renal Tubular Acidosis and Dandy-Walker Syndrome: New Associations

PubMed Central

Alafif, MM; Aljaid, SS; Al-Agha, AE

2015-01-01

Dandy-Walker syndrome (DWS) is a rare brain malformation involving the cerebellum, and the fluid filled spaces around it, usually detected during the antenatal period or the early infancy. Clinically, it is characterized by mental retardation, developmental delay as well as cerebellar ataxia. It has been frequently associated with other conditions such as congenital heart diseases, primary hypothyroidism, and other disorders of the central nervous, gastrointestinal, genitourinary, and orthopedic systems. In this report, we describe a 3-month-old Saudi boy with the rare association of DWS with central diabetes insipidus, congenital central hypothyroidism, and type-2 renal tubular acidosis. PMID:25861538

A role for tubular networks and a COP I-independent pathway in the mitotic fragmentation of Golgi stacks in a cell-free system

PubMed Central

1995-01-01

Golgi stacks were previously shown to be converted into tubular networks when incubated in mitotic cytosol depleted of the coatomer subunit of COP I coats (Misteli and Warren, 1994). Similar, though smaller, networks are now shown to be an early intermediate on the Golgi fragmentation pathway both in vitro and in vivo. Their appearance mirrors the disappearance of Golgi cisternae and at their peak they constitute 35% of total Golgi membrane. They are consumed by two pathways, the first involving the budding of COP I-coated vesicles described previously (Misteli and Warren, 1994). The second involves a COP I-independent mechanism that leads eventually to a vesicle fraction that is larger in size and more heterogeneous than that produced by the COP I-mechanism. We suggest that both pathways operate concurrently at the onset of mitotic fragmentation. The COP I-independent pathway converts cisternae into tubular networks that then fragment. The COP I- dependent pathway partially consumes first the cisternae at the beginning of the incubation and then the tubular networks that form from them. PMID:7657690

Self-Cleaning Tubular-Membrane Module

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sarbolouki, M. N.

1983-01-01

Tubular membranes made self-cleaning with aid of flow reversing valve. Sponge balls scrub membrane surfaces as they travel inside membrane tubes. A four-way flow-reversal valve automatically reverses flow in tubes at preset intervals so sponge balls reciprocate along tubes. Baskets at ends of tubes prevent sponges from escaping. Automatic cleaning feature added to existing membrane processing equipment with minimal modifications.

Effect of section shape on frequencies of natural oscillations of tubular springs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pirogov, S. P.; Chuba, A. Yu; Cherentsov, D. A.

2018-05-01

The necessity of determining the frequencies of natural oscillations of manometric tubular springs is substantiated. Based on the mathematical model and computer program, numerical experiments were performed that allowed us to reveal the effect of geometric parameters on the frequencies of free oscillations of manometric tubular springs.

Optical analysis of solar energy tubular absorbers.

PubMed

Saltiel, C; Sokolov, M

1982-11-15

The energy absorbed by a solar energy tubular receiver element for a single incident ray is derived. Two types of receiver elements were analyzed: (1) an inner tube with an absorbing coating surrounded by a semitransparent cover tube, and (2) a semitransparent inner tube filled with an absorbing fluid surrounded by a semitransparent cover tube. The formation of ray cascades in the semitransparent tubes is considered. A numerical simulation to investigate the influence of the angle of incidence, sizing, thickness, and coefficient of extinction of the tubes was performed. A comparison was made between receiver elements with and without cover tubes. Ray tracing analyses in which rays were followed within the tubular receiver element as well as throughout the rest of the collector were performed for parabolic and circular trough concentrating collectors.

Bioinspired coupled helical coils for soft tissue engineering of tubular structures - Improved mechanical behavior of tubular collagen type I templates.

PubMed

Janke, H P; Bohlin, J; Lomme, R M L M; Mihaila, S M; Hilborn, J; Feitz, W F J; Oosterwijk, E

2017-09-01

The design of constructs for tubular tissue engineering is challenging. Most biomaterials need to be reinforced with supporting structures such as knittings, meshes or electrospun material to comply with the mechanical demands of native tissues. In this study, coupled helical coils (CHCs) were manufactured to mimic collagen fiber orientation as found in nature. Monofilaments of different commercially available biodegradable polymers were wound and subsequently fused, resulting in right-handed and left-handed polymer helices fused together in joints where the filaments cross. CHCs of different polymer composition were tested to determine the tensile strength, strain recovery, hysteresis, compressive strength and degradation of CHCs of different composition. Subsequently, seamless and stable hybrid constructs consisting of PDSII® USP 2-0 CHCs embedded in porous collagen type I were produced. Compared to collagen alone, this hybrid showed superior strain recovery (93.5±0.9% vs 71.1±12.6% in longitudinal direction; 87.1±6.6% vs 57.2±4.6% in circumferential direction) and hysteresis (18.9±2.7% vs 51.1±12.0% in longitudinal direction; 11.5±4.6% vs 46.3±6.3% in circumferential direction). Furthermore, this hybrid construct showed an improved Young's modulus in both longitudinal (0.5±0.1MPavs 0.2±0.1MPa; 2.5-fold) and circumferential (1.65±0.07MPavs (2.9±0.3)×10 -2 MPa; 57-fold) direction, respectively, compared to templates created from collagen alone. Moreover, hybrid template characteristics could be modified by changing the CHC composition and CHCs were produced showing a mechanical behavior similar to the native ureter. CHC-enforced templates, which are easily tunable to meet different demands may be promising for tubular tissue engineering. Most tubular constructs lack sufficient strength and tunability to comply with the mechanical demands of native tissues. Therefore, we embedded coupled helical coils (CHCs) produced from biodegradable polymers - to

The origin of the animals and a 'Savannah' hypothesis for early bilaterian evolution.

PubMed

Budd, Graham E; Jensen, Sören

2017-02-01

The earliest evolution of the animals remains a taxing biological problem, as all extant clades are highly derived and the fossil record is not usually considered to be helpful. The rise of the bilaterian animals recorded in the fossil record, commonly known as the 'Cambrian explosion', is one of the most significant moments in evolutionary history, and was an event that transformed first marine and then terrestrial environments. We review the phylogeny of early animals and other opisthokonts, and the affinities of the earliest large complex fossils, the so-called 'Ediacaran' taxa. We conclude, based on a variety of lines of evidence, that their affinities most likely lie in various stem groups to large metazoan groupings; a new grouping, the Apoikozoa, is erected to encompass Metazoa and Choanoflagellata. The earliest reasonable fossil evidence for total-group bilaterians comes from undisputed complex trace fossils that are younger than about 560 Ma, and these diversify greatly as the Ediacaran-Cambrian boundary is crossed a few million years later. It is generally considered that as the bilaterians diversified after this time, their burrowing behaviour destroyed the cyanobacterial mat-dominated substrates that the enigmatic Ediacaran taxa were associated with, the so-called 'Cambrian substrate revolution', leading to the loss of almost all Ediacara-aspect diversity in the Cambrian. Why, though, did the energetically expensive and functionally complex burrowing mode of life so typical of later bilaterians arise? Here we propose a much more positive relationship between late-Ediacaran ecologies and the rise of the bilaterians, with the largely static Ediacaran taxa acting as points of concentration of organic matter both above and below the sediment surface. The breaking of the uniformity of organic carbon availability would have signalled a decisive shift away from the essentially static and monotonous earlier Ediacaran world into the dynamic and burrowing world

Hyperammonemia associated with distal renal tubular acidosis or urinary tract infection: a systematic review.

PubMed

Clericetti, Caterina M; Milani, Gregorio P; Lava, Sebastiano A G; Bianchetti, Mario G; Simonetti, Giacomo D; Giannini, Olivier

2018-03-01

Hyperammonemia usually results from an inborn error of metabolism or from an advanced liver disease. Individual case reports suggest that both distal renal tubular acidosis and urinary tract infection may also result in hyperammonemia. A systematic review of the literature on hyperammonemia secondary to distal renal tubular acidosis and urinary tract infection was conducted. We identified 39 reports on distal renal tubular acidosis or urinary tract infections in association with hyperammonemia published between 1980 and 2017. Hyperammonemia was detected in 13 children with distal renal tubular acidosis and in one adult patient with distal renal tubular acidosis secondary to primary hyperparathyroidism. In these patients a negative relationship was observed between circulating ammonia and bicarbonate levels (P < 0.05). In 31 patients (19 children, 12 adults), an acute urinary tract infection was complicated by acute hyperammonemia and symptoms and signs of acute neuronal dysfunction, such as an altered level of consciousness, convulsions and asterixis, often associated with signs of brain edema, such as anorexia and vomiting. Urea-splitting bacteria were isolated in 28 of the 31 cases. The urinary tract was anatomically or functionally abnormal in 30 of these patients. This study reveals that both altered distal renal tubular acidification and urinary tract infection may be associated with relevant hyperammonemia in both children and adults.

Tubular space truss structure for SKITTER 2 robot

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Beecham, Richard; Dejulio, Linda; Delorme, Paul; Eck, Eric; Levy, Avi; Lowery, Joel; Radack, Joe; Sheffield, Randy; Stevens, Scott

1988-01-01

The Skitter 2 is a three legged transport vehicle designed to demonstrate the principle of a tripod walker in a multitude of environments. The tubular truss model of Skitter 2 is a proof of principal design. The model will replicate the operational capabilities of Skitter 2 including its ability to self-right itself. The project's focus was on the use of light weight tubular members in the final structural design. A strong design for the body was required as it will undergo the most intense loading. Triangular geometry was used extensively in the body, providing the required structural integrity and eliminating the need for cumbersome shear panels. Both the basic femur and tibia designs also relied on the strong geometry of the triangle. An intense literature search aided in the development of the most suitable weld techniques, joints, linkages, and materials required for a durable design. The hinge design features the use of spherical rod end bearings. In order to obtain a greater range of mobility in the tibia, a four-bar linkage was designed which attaches both to the femur and the tibia. All component designs, specifically the body, femur, and the tibia were optimized using the software package IDEAS 3.8A Supertab. The package provided essential deformation and stress analysis information on each component's design. The final structure incurred only a 0.0544 inch deflection in a maximum (worst case) loading situation. The highest stress experienced by any AL6061-T6 tubular member was 1920 psi. The structural integrity of the final design facilitated the use of Aluminum 6061-T6 tubing. The tubular truss structure of Skitter 2 is an effective and highly durable design. All facets of the design are structurally sound and cost effective.

Classification of capped tubular viral particles in the family of Papovaviridae

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Keef, T.; Taormina, A.; Twarock, R.

2006-04-01

A vital constituent of a virus is its protein shell, called the viral capsid, that encapsulates and hence provides protection for the viral genome. Viral capsids are usually spherical, and for a significant number of viruses they exhibit overall icosahedral symmetry. The corresponding surface lattices, that encode the locations of the capsid proteins and intersubunit bonds, can be modelled by viral tiling theory. It has been shown in vitro that under a variation of the experimental boundary conditions, such as the pH value and salt concentration, tubular particles may appear instead of, or in addition to, spherical ones. In order to develop models that describe the simultaneous assembly of both spherical and tubular variants, and hence study the possibility of triggering tubular malformations as a means of interference with the replication mechanism, viral tiling theory has to be extended to include tubular lattices with end caps. We focus here on the case of Papovaviridae, which play a distinguished role from the viral structural point of view as they correspond to all pentamer lattices, i.e. lattices formed from clusters of five protein subunits throughout. These results pave the way for a generalization of recently developed assembly models.

Buckling characteristics of hypersonic aircraft wing tubular panels

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ko, William L.; Shideler, John L.; Fields, Roger A.

1986-01-01

The buckling characteristics of Rene 41 tubular panels installed as wing panels on a hypersonic wing test structure (HWTS) were determined nondestructively through use of a force/stiffness technique. The nondestructive buckling tests were carried out under different combined load conditions and different temperature environments. Two panels were subsequently tested to buckling failure in a universal tension compression testing machine. In spite of some data scattering because of large extrapolations of data points resulting from termination of the test at a somewhat low applied load, the overall test data correlated fairly well with theoretically predicted buckling interaction curves. The structural efficiency of the tubular panels was slightly higher than that of the beaded panels which they replaced.

Acceleration of recovery in acute renal failure: from cellular mechanisms of tubular repair to innovative targeted therapies.

PubMed

Abbate, M; Remuzzi, G

1996-05-01

Kidney repair from injury is a major focus of interest for research, both clinical and basic, in the field of acute renal failure. This is so because very little progress has been made during the past several years to improve mortality in hospitalized patients with acute renal failure despite the unique potential of the kidney for complete structural and functional recovery. Novel therapeutic options have recently emerged from the knowledge of molecular mechanisms of tissue injury after ischemia, including pathways of endothelial-leukocyte interaction and epithelial cell aggregation mediated by integrin molecules. These strategies are promising because they may target early mechanisms of leukocyte infiltration and tubular obstruction. However, it seems clear that additional interventions should address the reparative program that potentially leads to the full restoration of kidney structure and function. Thus, acceleration of repair from acute renal failure is achieved experimentally by growth factors which besides different renal actions seem to have in common the ability to stimulate proliferation of surviving tubular epithelial cells. We direct attention to cellular processes which characterize, and possibly have role in, renal repair from acute tubular injury as potential targets of therapy. In addition to proliferation, they include epithelial differentiation and apoptosis. Further investigation in the biology of repair should set the stage for rational design of targeted therapies which may accelerate the pace of recovery and hopefully decrease mortality in such a dramatic and potentially reversible setting.

Congenital myasthenic syndrome with tubular aggregates caused by GFPT1 mutations.

PubMed

Guergueltcheva, Velina; Müller, Juliane S; Dusl, Marina; Senderek, Jan; Oldfors, Anders; Lindbergh, Christopher; Maxwell, Susan; Colomer, Jaume; Mallebrera, Cecilia Jimenez; Nascimento, Andres; Vilchez, Juan J; Muelas, Nuria; Kirschner, Janbernd; Nafissi, Shahriar; Kariminejad, Ariana; Nilipour, Yalda; Bozorgmehr, Bita; Najmabadi, Hossein; Rodolico, Carmelo; Sieb, Jörn P; Schlotter, Beate; Schoser, Benedikt; Herrmann, Ralf; Voit, Thomas; Steinlein, Ortrud K; Najafi, Abdolhamid; Urtizberea, Andoni; Soler, Doriette M; Muntoni, Francesco; Hanna, Michael G; Chaouch, Amina; Straub, Volker; Bushby, Kate; Palace, Jacqueline; Beeson, David; Abicht, Angela; Lochmüller, Hanns

2012-05-01

Congenital myasthenic syndrome (CMS) is a clinically and genetically heterogeneous group of inherited disorders of the neuromuscular junction. A difficult to diagnose subgroup of CMS is characterised by proximal muscle weakness and fatigue while ocular and facial involvement is only minimal. DOK7 mutations have been identified as causing the disorder in about half of the cases. More recently, using classical positional cloning, we have identified mutations in a previously unrecognised CMS gene, GFPT1, in a series of DOK7-negative cases. However, detailed description of clinical features of GFPT1 patients has not been reported yet. Here we describe the clinical picture of 24 limb-girdle CMS (LG-CMS) patients and pathological findings of 18 of them, all carrying GFPT1 mutations. Additional patients with CMS, but without tubular aggregates, and patients with non-fatigable weakness with tubular aggregates were also screened. In most patients with GFPT1 mutations, onset of the disease occurs in the first decade of life with characteristic limb-girdle weakness and fatigue. A common feature was beneficial and sustained response to acetylcholinesterase inhibitor treatment. Most of the patients who had a muscle biopsy showed tubular aggregates in myofibers. Analysis of endplate morphology in one of the patients revealed unspecific abnormalities. Our study delineates the phenotype of CMS associated with GFPT1 mutations and expands the understanding of neuromuscular junction disorders. As tubular aggregates in context of a neuromuscular transmission defect appear to be highly indicative, we suggest calling this condition congenital myasthenic syndrome with tubular aggregates (CMS-TA).

Increased renal tubular sodium reabsorption during exercise-induced hypervolemia in humans

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nagashima, K.; Wu, J.; Kavouras, S. A.; Mack, G. W.

2001-01-01

We tested the hypothesis that renal tubular Na(+) reabsorption increased during the first 24 h of exercise-induced plasma volume expansion. Renal function was assessed 1 day after no-exercise control (C) or intermittent cycle ergometer exercise (Ex, 85% of peak O(2) uptake) for 2 h before and 3 h after saline loading (12.5 ml/kg over 30 min) in seven subjects. Ex reduced renal blood flow (p-aminohippurate clearance) compared with C (0.83 +/- 0.12 vs. 1.49 +/- 0.24 l/min, P < 0.05) but did not influence glomerular filtration rates (97 +/- 10 ml/min, inulin clearance). Fractional tubular reabsorption of Na(+) in the proximal tubules was higher in Ex than in C (P < 0.05). Saline loading decreased fractional tubular reabsorption of Na(+) from 99.1 +/- 0.1 to 98.7 +/- 0.1% (P < 0.05) in C but not in Ex (99.3 +/- 0.1 to 99.4 +/- 0.1%). Saline loading reduced plasma renin activity and plasma arginine vasopressin levels in C and Ex, although the magnitude of decrease was greater in C (P < 0.05). These results indicate that, during the acute phase of exercise-induced plasma volume expansion, increased tubular Na(+) reabsorption is directed primarily to the proximal tubules and is associated with a decrease in renal blood flow. In addition, saline infusion caused a smaller reduction in fluid-regulating hormones in Ex. The attenuated volume-regulatory response acts to preserve distal tubular Na(+) reabsorption during saline infusion 24 h after exercise.

Tissue cell assisted fabrication of tubular catalytic platinum microengines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Hong; Moo, James Guo Sheng; Pumera, Martin

2014-09-01

We report a facile platform for mass production of robust self-propelled tubular microengines. Tissue cells extracted from fruits of banana and apple, Musa acuminata and Malus domestica, are used as the support on which a thin platinum film is deposited by means of physical vapor deposition. Upon sonication of the cells/Pt-coated substrate in water, microscrolls of highly uniform sizes are spontaneously formed. Tubular microengines fabricated with the fruit cell assisted method exhibit a fast motion of ~100 bodylengths per s (~1 mm s-1). An extremely simple and affordable platform for mass production of the micromotors is crucial for the envisioned swarms of thousands and millions of autonomous micromotors performing biomedical and environmental remediation tasks.We report a facile platform for mass production of robust self-propelled tubular microengines. Tissue cells extracted from fruits of banana and apple, Musa acuminata and Malus domestica, are used as the support on which a thin platinum film is deposited by means of physical vapor deposition. Upon sonication of the cells/Pt-coated substrate in water, microscrolls of highly uniform sizes are spontaneously formed. Tubular microengines fabricated with the fruit cell assisted method exhibit a fast motion of ~100 bodylengths per s (~1 mm s-1). An extremely simple and affordable platform for mass production of the micromotors is crucial for the envisioned swarms of thousands and millions of autonomous micromotors performing biomedical and environmental remediation tasks. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Related video. See DOI: 10.1039/c4nr03720k

Cambrian palaeomagnetic data confirm a Natal Embayment location for the Ellsworth-Whitmore Mountains, Antarctica, in Gondwana reconstructions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Randall, Darren E.; Mac Niocaill, Conall

2004-04-01

The Ellsworth-Whitmore Mountains (EWM) are one of five terranes that form West Antarctica. Constraining the positions of these terranes in pre-break up Gondwana is crucial to understanding the history of the palaeo-Pacific Gondwana margin. We report the results of a detailed palaeomagnetic investigation of the EWM, which comprises some 150 sites in six formations, ranging in age from Cambrian to Permian. Five of the studied units yield only viscous remnant magnetizations of recent age, or unstable natural remanent magnetizations. The remaining unit, the mid-late Cambrian Frazier Ridge Formation, yielded stable magnetizations at 16 of 35 sites. This component passes a fold test at the 95 per cent confidence level, indicating that it pre-dates Permian deformation, and we argue that it is of primary origin. The resulting palaeopole (9°N 293°E A95= 5.1°) is in good agreement with two previously published palaeopoles from similarly aged rocks in the EWM. Collectively these data indicate that the EWM were located in the Natal Embayment prior to Gondwana break-up, and underwent 90° of anticlockwise rotation during break-up. All three studies, however, yield inclinations that are slightly too shallow when compared with coeval Gondwana reference poles.

Detrital zircon geochronology of Neoproterozoic to Middle Cambrian miogeoclinal and platformal strata: Northwest Sonora, Mexico

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gross, E.L.; Stewart, John H.; Gehreis, G.E.

2000-01-01

Eighty-five detrital zircon grains from Mesoproterozoic and/or Neoproterozoic to Middle Cambrian sedimentary strata in northwest Sonora, Mexico, have been analyzed to determine source terranes and provide limiting depositional ages of the units. The zircon suites from the Mesoproterozoic and/or Neoproterozoic El Alamo Formation and El Aguila unit yield ages between 1.06 Ga and 2.67 Ga, with predominant ages of 1.1 to 1.2 Ga. Zircons from the Lower? and Middle Cambrian Bolsa Quartzite show age groups from 525 Ma to 1.63 Ga, with a dominant population of 1.1 to 1.2 Ga grains. Grains older than 1.2 Ga in the samples were most likely derived from basement terranes and ???1.4 Ga granitic bodies of the southwest U.S. and northwest Mexico. It is also possible that the sediments were transported from the south, although source rocks of the appropriate age are not presently exposed south of the study area in northern Mexico. Three possibilities for the dominant 1.1 to 1.2 Ga grains include derivation from: (I) exposures of the Grenville belt in southern North America, (2) local 1.1-1.2 Ga granite bodies, or (3) a southern source, such as the Oaxaca terrane, that was subsequently rifted away. Sampling of additional units in the western U.S. and northern Mexico may help resolve the ambiguity surrounding the source of the 1.1 to 1.2 Ga grains.

Trace fossils and bioturbation in peritidal facies of the Potsdam-Theresa Formations (Cambrian-Ordovician), Northwest Adirondacks

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

Bjerstedt, T.W.; Erickson, J.M.

The Cambrian-Ordovician Potsdam Sandstone, Theresa Formation, and Canadian correlatives in the St. Lawrence Lowlands preserve tide-dominated facies during the basal Cambrian transgression. Low intertidal sand flats in the upper Potsdam contain a Skolithos Ichnofacies dominated by Diplocraterion parallelum in clean, herringbone cross-bedded sandstones indicative of high tidal current energy. Wind-wave-driven longshore and tidal currents along a macrotidal coastline were funneled northeast-southwest by Precambrian topographic relief of up to 65 m. This relief is now expressed as the Thousand Islands of New York and Canada. The conformably overlying Theresa Formation preserves a shoaling-upward sequence of mixed clastic-carbonate facies. Shallow subtidal andmore » peritidal facies contain a mixed Skolithos-Cruziana Ichnofacies in sharply alternating lithofacies consisting of gray, intensely bioturbated, poorly sorted calcareous sandstone, and meter-thick, white cross-bedded sandstone. The parallelism between ichnofacies and lithofacies indicates that environmental energy level and persistence rather than water depth controlled trace fossil distribution. Bioturbated sandstones contain a Cruziana ichnofacies of abundant deposit feeders including: Fustiglyphus , Gyrochorte , Neonereites uniserialis , Phycodes flabellum, Planolites beverlyensis, Rosselia socialis, and Teichichnus. Suspension feeders are represented by D. habichi, D. parallelum, Skolithos, Monocraterion, and possibly Palaeophycus tubularis. Scavenging or deposit-feeding arthropods are represented by rare Cruziana furrows. Cross-bedded sandstones contain a Skolithos Ichnofacies of shallow Skolithos and Monocraterion burrows, and an undescribed large epistratal eurypterid( ) trail.« less

Tubular Heart Pumping Mechanisms in Ciona Intestinalis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Battista, Nicholas; Miller, Laura

2015-11-01

In vertebrate embryogenesis, the first organ to form is the heart, beginning as a primitive heart tube. However, many invertebrates have tubular hearts from infancy through adulthood. Heart tubes have been described as peristaltic and impedance pumps. Impedance pumping assumes a single actuation point of contraction, while traditional peristalsis assumes a traveling wave of actuation. In addition to differences in flow, this inherently implies differences in the conduction system. It is possible to transition from pumping mechanism to the other with a change in the diffusivity of the action potential. In this work we consider the coupling between the fluid dynamics and electrophysiology of both mechanisms, within a basal chordate, the tunicate. Using CFD with a neuro-mechanical model of tubular pumping, we discuss implications of the both mechanisms. Furthermore, we discuss the implications of the pumping mechanism on evolution and development.

Renal Tubular Acidosis in Patients with Primary Sjögren's Syndrome.

PubMed

Jung, Su Woong; Park, Eun Ji; Kim, Jin Sug; Lee, Tae Won; Ihm, Chun Gyoo; Lee, Sang Ho; Moon, Ju-Young; Kim, Yang Gyun; Jeong, Kyung Hwan

2017-09-01

Primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS) is characterized by lymphocytic infiltration of the exocrine glands resulting in decreased saliva and tear production. It uncommonly involves the kidneys in various forms, including tubulointerstitial nephritis, renal tubular acidosis, Fanconi syndrome, and rarely glomerulonephritis. Its clinical symptoms include muscle weakness, periodic paralysis, and bone pain due to metabolic acidosis and electrolyte imbalance. Herein, we describe the cases of two women with pSS whose presenting symptoms involve the kidneys. They had hypokalemia and normal anion gap metabolic acidosis due to distal renal tubular acidosis and positive anti-SS-A and anti-SS-B autoantibodies. Since one of them experienced femoral fracture due to osteomalacia secondary to renal tubular acidosis, an earlier diagnosis of pSS is important in preventing serious complications.

The sophisticated visual system of a tiny Cambrian crustacean: analysis of a stalked fossil compound eye

PubMed Central

Schoenemann, Brigitte; Castellani, Christopher; Clarkson, Euan N. K.; Haug, Joachim T.; Maas, Andreas; Haug, Carolin; Waloszek, Dieter

2012-01-01

Fossilized compound eyes from the Cambrian, isolated and three-dimensionally preserved, provide remarkable insights into the lifestyle and habitat of their owners. The tiny stalked compound eyes described here probably possessed too few facets to form a proper image, but they represent a sophisticated system for detecting moving objects. The eyes are preserved as almost solid, mace-shaped blocks of phosphate, in which the original positions of the rhabdoms in one specimen are retained as deep cavities. Analysis of the optical axes reveals four visual areas, each with different properties in acuity of vision. They are surveyed by lenses directed forwards, laterally, backwards and inwards, respectively. The most intriguing of these is the putatively inwardly orientated zone, where the optical axes, like those orientated to the front, interfere with axes of the other eye of the contralateral side. The result is a three-dimensional visual net that covers not only the front, but extends also far laterally to either side. Thus, a moving object could be perceived by a two-dimensional coordinate (which is formed by two axes of those facets, one of the left and one of the right eye, which are orientated towards the moving object) in a wide three-dimensional space. This compound eye system enables small arthropods equipped with an eye of low acuity to estimate velocity, size or distance of possible food items efficiently. The eyes are interpreted as having been derived from individuals of the early crustacean Henningsmoenicaris scutula pointing to the existence of highly efficiently developed eyes in the early evolutionary lineage leading towards the modern Crustacea. PMID:22048954

Effect of corrosion on the buckling capacity of tubular members

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Øyasæter, F. H.; Aeran, A.; Siriwardane, S. C.; Mikkelsen, O.

2017-12-01

Offshore installations are subjected to harsh marine environment and often have damages from corrosion. Several experimental and numerical studies were performed in the past to estimate buckling capacity of corroded tubular members. However, these studies were either based on limited experimental tests or numerical analyses of few cases resulting in semi-empirical relations. Also, there are no guidelines and recommendations in the currently available design standards. To fulfil this research gap, a new formula is proposed to estimate the residual strength of tubular members considering corrosion and initial geometrical imperfections. The proposed formula is verified with results from finite element analyses performed on several members and for varying corrosion patch parameters. The members are selected to represent the most relevant Eurocode buckling curve for tubular members. It is concluded that corrosion reduces the buckling capacity significantly and the proposed formula can be easily applied by practicing engineers without performing detailed numerical analyses.

Augmented reality visualization of deformable tubular structures for surgical simulation.

PubMed

Ferrari, Vincenzo; Viglialoro, Rosanna Maria; Nicoli, Paola; Cutolo, Fabrizio; Condino, Sara; Carbone, Marina; Siesto, Mentore; Ferrari, Mauro

2016-06-01

Surgical simulation based on augmented reality (AR), mixing the benefits of physical and virtual simulation, represents a step forward in surgical training. However, available systems are unable to update the virtual anatomy following deformations impressed on actual anatomy. A proof-of-concept solution is described providing AR visualization of hidden deformable tubular structures using nitinol tubes sensorized with electromagnetic sensors. This system was tested in vitro on a setup comprised of sensorized cystic, left and right hepatic, and proper hepatic arteries. In the trial session, the surgeon deformed the tubular structures with surgical forceps in 10 positions. The mean, standard deviation, and maximum misalignment between virtual and real arteries were 0.35, 0.22, and 0.99 mm, respectively. The alignment accuracy obtained demonstrates the feasibility of the approach, which can be adopted in advanced AR simulations, in particular as an aid to the identification and isolation of tubular structures. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Precambrian Time - The Story of the Early Earth

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lindsey, D.A.

2007-01-01

The Precambrian is the least-understood part of Earth history, yet it is arguably the most important. Precambrian time spans almost nine-tenths of Earth history, from the formation of the Earth to the dawn of the Cambrian Period. It represents time so vast and long ago that it challenges all comprehension. The Precambrian is the time of big questions. How old is the Earth? How old are the oldest rocks and continents? What was the early Earth like? What was the early atmosphere like? When did life appear, and what did it look like? And, how do we know this? In recent years, remarkable progress has been made in understanding the early evolution of the Earth and life itself. Yet, the scientific story of the early Earth is still a work in progress, humankind's latest attempt to understand the planet. Like previous attempts, it too will change as we learn more about the Earth. Read on to discover what we know now, in the early 21st century.

Thermal sprayed composite melt containment tubular component and method of making same

DOEpatents

Besser, Matthew F.; Terpstra, Robert L.; Sordelet, Daniel J.; Anderson, Iver E.

2002-03-19

A tubular thermal sprayed melt containment component for transient containment of molten metal or alloy wherein the tubular member includes a thermal sprayed inner melt-contacting layer for contacting molten metal or alloy to be processed, a thermal sprayed heat-generating layer deposited on the inner layer, and an optional thermal sprayed outer thermal insulating layer. The thermal sprayed heat-generating layer is inductively heated as a susceptor of an induction field or electrical resistively heated by passing electrical current therethrough. The tubular thermal sprayed melt containment component can comprise an elongated melt pour tube of a gas atomization apparatus where the melt pour tube supplies molten material from a crucible to an underlying melt atomization nozzle.

Sjögren syndrome presenting with hypopotassemic periodic paralysis due to renal tubular acidosis

PubMed Central

Ataoglu, Esra Hayriye; Demir, Betul; Tuna, Mazhar; Çavus, Bilger; Cetin, Faik; Temiz, Levent Umit; Ozturk, Savas; Yenigun, Mustafa

2012-01-01

Summary Background: Sjögren syndrome (SS) is an autoimmune-lymphoproliferative disorder characterized by mononuclear cell infiltration of exocrine glands. Clinically, Sjögren syndrome (SS) has a wide spectrum, varying from autoimmune exocrinopathy to systemic involvement. There have been few cases reporting that primary SS developed with distal renal tubular acidosis clinically. Case Report: Here, we present a case with primary Sjögren syndrome accompanied by hypopotassemic paralysis due to renal tubular acidosis. Severe hypopotassemia, hyperchloremic metabolic acidosis, alkaline urine and disorder in urinary acidification test were observed in the biochemical examination of the 16-year-old female patient, who had applied to our clinic for extreme loss of muscle force. After the examinations it was determined that the patient had developed Type 1 RTA (distal RTA) due to primary Sjögren syndrome. Potassium and alkaline replacement was made and an immediate total recovery was achieved. Conclusions: Hypopotassemic paralysis due to primary Sjögren syndrome is a rare but severe disorder that could lead to death if not detected early and cured appropriately. Thus, effective treatment should be immediately initiated in cases where severe hypopotassemia is accompanied by metabolic acidosis, and the cases should also be examined for extraglandular involvement of SS. PMID:23569525

Neoproterozoic-Early Paleozoic Peri-Pacific Accretionary Evolution of the Mongolian Collage System: Insights From Geochemical and U-Pb Zircon Data From the Ordovician Sedimentary Wedge in the Mongolian Altai

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Y. D.; Schulmann, K.; Kröner, A.; Sun, M.; Lexa, O.; Janoušek, V.; Buriánek, D.; Yuan, C.; Hanžl, P.

2017-11-01

Neoproterozoic to early Paleozoic accretionary processes of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt have been evaluated so far mainly using the geology of ophiolites and/or magmatic arcs. Thus, the knowledge of the nature and evolution of associated sedimentary prisms remains fragmentary. We carried out an integrated geological, geochemical, and zircon U-Pb geochronological study on a giant Ordovician metasedimentary succession of the Mongolian Altai Mountains. This succession is characterized by dominant terrigenous components mixed with volcanogenic material. It is chemically immature, compositionally analogous to graywacke, and marked by significant input of felsic to intermediate arc components, pointing to an active continental margin depositional setting. Detrital zircon U-Pb ages suggest a source dominated by products of early Paleozoic magmatism prevailing during the Cambrian-Ordovician and culminating at circa 500 Ma. We propose that the Ordovician succession forms an "Altai sedimentary wedge," the evolution of which can be linked to the geodynamics of the margins of the Mongolian Precambrian Zavhan-Baydrag blocks. This involved subduction reversal from southward subduction of a passive continental margin (Early Cambrian) to the development of the "Ikh-Mongol Magmatic Arc System" and the giant Altai sedimentary wedge above a north dipping subduction zone (Late Cambrian-Ordovician). Such a dynamic process resembles the tectonic evolution of the peri-Pacific accretionary Terra Australis Orogen. A new model reconciling the Baikalian metamorphic belt along the southern Siberian Craton with peri-Pacific Altai accretionary systems fringing the Mongolian microcontinents is proposed to explain the Cambro-Ordovician geodynamic evolution of the Mongolian collage system.

Dynamics of catalytic tubular microjet engines: Dependence on geometry and chemical environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

LiJ. X. L.; G. S. H. Contributed Equally To This Work., Jinxing; Huang, Gaoshan; Ye, Mengmeng; Li, Menglin; Liu, Ran; Mei, Yongfeng

2011-12-01

Strain-engineered tubular microjet engines with various geometric dimensions hold interesting autonomous motions in an aqueous fuel solution when propelled by catalytic decomposition of hydrogen peroxide to oxygen and water. The catalytically-generated oxygen bubbles expelled from microtubular cavities propel the microjet step by step in discrete increments. We focus on the dynamics of our tubular microjets in one step and build up a body deformation model to elucidate the interaction between tubular microjets and the bubbles they produce. The average microjet velocity is calculated analytically based on our model and the obtained results demonstrate that the velocity of the microjet increases linearly with the concentration of hydrogen peroxide. The geometric dimensions of the microjet, such as length and radius, also influence its dynamic characteristics significantly. A close consistency between experimental and calculated results is achieved despite a small deviation due to the existence of an approximation in the model. The results presented in this work improve our understanding regarding catalytic motions of tubular microjets and demonstrate the controllability of the microjet which may have potential applications in drug delivery and biology.Strain-engineered tubular microjet engines with various geometric dimensions hold interesting autonomous motions in an aqueous fuel solution when propelled by catalytic decomposition of hydrogen peroxide to oxygen and water. The catalytically-generated oxygen bubbles expelled from microtubular cavities propel the microjet step by step in discrete increments. We focus on the dynamics of our tubular microjets in one step and build up a body deformation model to elucidate the interaction between tubular microjets and the bubbles they produce. The average microjet velocity is calculated analytically based on our model and the obtained results demonstrate that the velocity of the microjet increases linearly with the

Early detection of acute tubulointerstitial nephritis in the genesis of Mesoamerican nephropathy.

PubMed

Fischer, Rebecca S B; Vangala, Chandan; Truong, Luan; Mandayam, Sreedhar; Chavarria, Denis; Granera Llanes, Orlando M; Fonseca Laguna, Marcos U; Guerra Baez, Alvaro; Garcia, Felix; García-Trabanino, Ramón; Murray, Kristy O

2018-03-01

Mesoamerican nephropathy is a devastating disease of unknown etiology that affects mostly young agricultural workers in Central America. An understanding of the mechanism of injury and the early disease process is urgently needed and will aid in identification of the underlying cause and direct treatment and prevention efforts. We sought to describe the renal pathology in Mesoamerican nephropathy at its earliest clinical appearance in prospectively identified acute case patients in Nicaragua. We considered those with elevated (or increased at least 0.3 mg/dL or 1.5-fold from baseline) serum creatinine, leukocyturia, and either leukocytosis or neutrophilia for inclusion in this biopsy study. Renal tissue was obtained by ultrasound-guided biopsy for examination by light, immunofluorescence, and electron microscopy. All 11 individuals who underwent renal biopsy showed tubulointerstitial nephritis, with varying degrees of inflammation and chronicity. Interstitial cellular infiltrates (predominantly T lymphocytes and monocytes), mostly in the corticomedullary junction; neutrophilic accumulation in the tubular lumens; largely preserved glomeruli; few mild ischemic changes; and no immune deposits were noted. The acute components of tubulointerstitial nephritis were acute tubular cell injury, interstitial edema, and early fibrosis. Chronic tubulointerstitial nephritis included severe tubular atrophy, thickened tubular basement membrane, and interstitial fibrosis. Thus, renal histopathology in Mesoamerican nephropathy reveals primary interstitial disease with intact glomeruli. Copyright © 2017 International Society of Nephrology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Dietary sodium induces a redistribution of the tubular metabolic workload

PubMed Central

Udwan, Khalil; Abed, Ahmed; Roth, Isabelle; Dizin, Eva; Maillard, Marc; Bettoni, Carla; Loffing, Johannes; Wagner, Carsten A.; Edwards, Aurélie

2017-01-01

Key points Body Na+ content is tightly controlled by regulated urinary Na+ excretion.The intrarenal mechanisms mediating adaptation to variations in dietary Na+ intake are incompletely characterized.We confirmed and expanded observations in mice that variations in dietary Na+ intake do not alter the glomerular filtration rate but alter the total and cell‐surface expression of major Na+ transporters all along the kidney tubule.Low dietary Na+ intake increased Na+ reabsorption in the proximal tubule and decreased it in more distal kidney tubule segments.High dietary Na+ intake decreased Na+ reabsorption in the proximal tubule and increased it in distal segments with lower energetic efficiency.The abundance of apical transporters and Na+ delivery are the main determinants of Na+ reabsorption along the kidney tubule.Tubular O2 consumption and the efficiency of sodium reabsorption are dependent on sodium diet. Abstract Na+ excretion by the kidney varies according to dietary Na+ intake. We undertook a systematic study of the effects of dietary salt intake on glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and tubular Na+ reabsorption. We examined the renal adaptive response in mice subjected to 7 days of a low sodium diet (LSD) containing 0.01% Na+, a normal sodium diet (NSD) containing 0.18% Na+ and a moderately high sodium diet (HSD) containing 1.25% Na+. As expected, LSD did not alter measured GFR and increased the abundance of total and cell‐surface NHE3, NKCC2, NCC, α‐ENaC and cleaved γ‐ENaC compared to NSD. Mathematical modelling predicted that tubular Na+ reabsorption increased in the proximal tubule but decreased in the distal nephron because of diminished Na+ delivery. This prediction was confirmed by the natriuretic response to diuretics targeting the thick ascending limb, the distal convoluted tubule or the collecting system. On the other hand, HSD did not alter measured GFR but decreased the abundance of the aforementioned transporters compared to NSD

Large tubular colonic duplication in an adult treated with a small midline incision

PubMed Central

Yong, Yuen Geng; Jung, Kyung Uk; Cho, Yong Beom; Yun, Seong Hyeon; Kim, Hee Cheol; Lee, Woo Yong

2012-01-01

Tubular colonic duplication presenting in adults is rare and difficult to diagnose preoperatively. Only a few cases have been reported in the literature. We report a case of a 29-year-old lady presenting with a long history of chronic constipation, abdominal mass and repeated episodes of abdominal pain. The abdominal-pelvic computed tomography scan showed segmental bowel wall thickening thought to be small bowel, and dilatation with stasis of intraluminal content. The provisional diagnosis was small bowel duplication. She was scheduled for single port laparoscopic resection. However, a T-shaped tubular colonic duplication at sigmoid colon was found intraoperatively. Resection of the large T-shaped tubular colonic duplication containing multiple impacted large fecaloma and primary anastomosis was performed. There was no perioperative complication. We report, herein, the case of a T-shaped tubular colonic duplication at sigmoid colon in an adult who was successfully treated through mini-laparotomy assisted by single port laparoscopic surgery. PMID:22403754

RGMb protects against acute kidney injury by inhibiting tubular cell necroptosis via an MLKL-dependent mechanism.

PubMed

Liu, Wenjing; Chen, Binbin; Wang, Yang; Meng, Chenling; Huang, Huihui; Huang, Xiao-Ru; Qin, Jinzhong; Mulay, Shrikant R; Anders, Hans-Joachim; Qiu, Andong; Yang, Baoxue; Freeman, Gordon J; Lu, Hua Jenny; Lin, Herbert Y; Zheng, Zhi-Hua; Lan, Hui-Yao; Huang, Yu; Xia, Yin

2018-02-13

Tubular cell necrosis is a key histological feature of acute kidney injury (AKI). Necroptosis is a type of programed necrosis, which is executed by mixed lineage kinase domain-like protein (MLKL) upon its binding to the plasma membrane. Emerging evidence indicates that necroptosis plays a critical role in the development of AKI. However, it is unclear whether renal tubular cells undergo necroptosis in vivo and how the necroptotic pathway is regulated during AKI. Repulsive guidance molecule (RGM)-b is a member of the RGM family. Our previous study demonstrated that RGMb is highly expressed in kidney tubular epithelial cells, but its biological role in the kidney has not been well characterized. In the present study, we found that RGMb reduced membrane-associated MLKL levels and inhibited necroptosis in cultured cells. During ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI) or oxalate nephropathy, MLKL was induced to express on the apical membrane of proximal tubular (PT) cells. Specific knockout of Rgmb in tubular cells (Rgmb cKO) increased MLKL expression at the apical membrane of PT cells and induced more tubular cell death and more severe renal dysfunction compared with wild-type mice. Treatment with the necroptosis inhibitor Necrostatin-1 or GSK'963 reduced MLKL expression on the apical membrane of PT cells and ameliorated renal function impairment after IRI in both wild-type and Rgmb cKO mice. Taken together, our results suggest that proximal tubular cell necroptosis plays an important role in AKI, and that RGMb protects against AKI by inhibiting MLKL membrane association and necroptosis in proximal tubular cells.

High-temperature, high-pressure bonding of nested tubular metallic components

DOEpatents

Quinby, T.C.

A tool is described for effecting high-temperature, high-compression bonding between the confronting faces of nested, tubular, metallic components. In a typical application, the tool is used to produce tubular target assemblies for irradiation in nuclear reactors or particle accelerators. The target assembly comprising a uranum foil and an aluninum-alloy substrate. The tool is composed of graphite. It comprises a tubular restraining member in which a mechanically expandable tubular core is mounted to form an annulus. The components to be bonded are mounted in nested relation in the annulus. The expandable core is formed of individually movable, axially elongated segments whose outer faces cooperatively define a cylindrical pressing surface and whose inner faces cooperatively define two opposed, inwardly tapered, axial bores. Tapered rams extend into the bores. The loaded tool is mounted in a conventional hot-press provided with evacuation means, heaters for maintaining its interior at bonding temperature, and hydraulic cylinders for maintaining a selected inwardly directed pressure on the tapered rams. With the hot-press evacuated and the loaded tool at the desired temperature, the cylinders are actuated to apply the selected pressure to the rams. The rams in turn expand the segmented core to maintain the nested components in compression against the restraining member. These conditions are maintained until the confronting faces of the nested components are joined in a continuous, uniform bond characterized by high thermal conductivity.

High-temperature, high-pressure bonding of nested tubular metallic components

DOEpatents

Quinby, Thomas C.

1980-01-01

This invention is a tool for effecting high-temperature, high-compression bonding between the confronting faces of nested, tubular, metallic components. In a typical application, the tool is used to produce tubular target assemblies for irradiation in nuclear reactors or particle accelerators, the target assembly comprising a uranium foil and an aluminum-alloy substrate. The tool preferably is composed throughout of graphite. It comprises a tubular restraining member in which a mechanically expandable tubular core is mounted to form an annulus with the member. The components to be bonded are mounted in nested relation in the annulus. The expandable core is formed of individually movable, axially elongated segments whose outer faces cooperatively define a cylindrical pressing surface and whose inner faces cooperatively define two opposed, inwardly tapered, axial bores. Tapered rams extend respectively into the bores. The loaded tool is mounted in a conventional hot-press provided with evacuation means, heaters for maintaining its interior at bonding temperature, and hydraulic cylinders for maintaining a selected inwardly directed pressure on the tapered rams. With the hot-press evacuated and the loaded tool at the desired temperature, the cylinders are actuated to apply the selected pressure to the rams. The rams in turn expand the segmented core to maintain the nested components in compression against the restraining member. These conditions are maintained until the confronting faces of the nested components are joined in a continuous, uniform bond characterized by high thermal conductivity.

Reconstructing the diet of a 505-million-year-old arthropod: Sidneyia inexpectans from the Burgess Shale fauna.

PubMed

Zacaï, Axelle; Vannier, Jean; Lerosey-Aubril, Rudy

2016-03-01

The feeding ecology of the 505-million-year-old arthropod Sidneyia inexpectans from the middle Cambrian (Series 3, Stage 5) Burgess Shale fauna (British Columbia, Canada) is revealed by three lines of evidence: the structure of its digestive system, the fossilized contents of its gut and the functional anatomy of its appendages. The digestive tract of Sidneyia is straight, tubular and relatively narrow in the trunk region. It is enlarged into a pear-shaped area in the cephalic region and stretches notably to form a large pocket in the abdomen. The mouth is ventral, posteriorly directed and leads to the midgut via a short tubular structure interpreted as the oesophagus. Anteriorly, three pairs of glands with internal, branching tubular structures open into the digestive tract. These glands have equivalents in various Cambrian arthropod taxa (e.g. naraoiids) and modern arthropods. Their primary function was most likely to digest and assimilate food. The abdominal pocket of Sidneyia concentrates undigested skeletal elements and various residues. It is interpreted here as the functional analogue of the stercoral pocket of some extant terrestrial arachnids (e.g. Araneae, Solifugae), whose primary function is to store food residuals and excretory material until defecation. Analysis of the gut contents indicates that Sidneyia fed largely on small ptychopariid trilobites, brachiopods, possibly agnostids, worms and other undetermined animals. Sidneyia was primarily a durophagous carnivore with predatory and/or scavenging habits, feeding on small invertebrates that lived at the water-sediment interface. There is no evidence for selective feeding. Its food items (e.g. living prey or dead material) were grasped and manipulated ventrally by its anterior appendages, then macerated into ingestible fragments and conveyed to the mouth via the converging action of strong molar-like gnathobases. Digestion probably took place within the anterior midgut via enzymes secreted in the

Synthesis and adsorption properties of hollow tubular alumina fibers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lozhkomoev, A. S.; Kazantsev, S. O.; Glazkova, E. A.

2017-12-01

In this study, composite glass fibers coated with alumina nanoplates and hollow tubular alumina fibers with a diameter of 400-500 nm are synthesized based on glass fiber templated hydrothermal strategy. Porous coatings on glass fibers and hollow fibers consist of cross-linked alumina nanoplates with the size of 100-200 nm and thickness of 2-5 nm. Their formation is attributed to the template-induced heterogeneous growth of alumina nanoplates on glass fibers of the B-06-F type. It is important that composite glass fibers and hollow tubular fibers have opposite surface charges and exhibit selective sorption characteristics towards anionic and cationic dyes.

Hot fire test results of subscale tubular combustion chambers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kazaroff, John M.; Jankovsky, Robert S.; Pavli, Albert J.

1992-01-01

Advanced, subscale, tubular combustion chambers were built and test fired with hydrogen-oxygen propellants to assess the increase in fatigue life that can be obtained with this type of construction. Two chambers were tested: one ran for 637 cycles without failing, compared to a predicted life of 200 cycles for a comparable smooth-wall milled-channel liner configuration. The other chamber failed at 256 cycles, compared to a predicted life of 118 cycles for a comparable smooth-wall milled-channel liner configuration. Posttest metallographic analysis determined that the strain-relieving design (structural compliance) of the tubular configuration was the cause of this increase in life.

Spermidine rescues proximal tubular cells from oxidative stress and necrosis after ischemic acute kidney injury.

PubMed

Kim, Jinu

2017-10-01

Kidney ischemia and reperfusion injury (IRI) is associated with a high mortality rate, which is attributed to tubular oxidative stress and necrosis; however, an effective approach to limit IRI remains elusive. Spermidine, a naturally occurring polyamine, protects yeast cells against aging through the inhibition of oxidative stress and necrosis. In the present study, spermidine supplementation markedly attenuated increases in plasma creatinine concentration and tubular injury score after IRI. In addition, exogenous spermidine potently inhibited oxidative stress, especially lipid peroxidation after IRI in kidneys and exposure to hydrogen peroxide in kidney proximal tubular cells, suppressing plasma membrane disruption and necrosis. Consistent with spermidine supplementation, upregulation of ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) in human kidney proximal tubular cells significantly diminished lipid peroxidation and necrosis induced by hydrogen peroxide-induced injury. Conversely, ODC deficiency significantly enhanced lipid peroxidation and necrosis after exposure to hydrogen peroxide. Finally, small interfering RNA-mediated ODC inhibition induced functional and histological damage in kidneys as well as it increased lipid hydroperoxide levels after IRI. In conclusion, these data suggest that spermidine level determines kidney proximal tubular damage through oxidative stress and necrosis induced by IRI, and this finding provides a novel target for prevention of tubular damage induced by IRI.

Reference values of renal tubular function tests are dependent on age and kidney function.

PubMed

Bech, Anneke P; Wetzels, Jack F M; Nijenhuis, Tom

2017-12-01

Electrolyte disorders due to tubular disorders are rare, and knowledge about validated clinical diagnostic tools such as tubular function tests is sparse. Reference values for tubular function tests are based on studies with small sample size in young healthy volunteers. Patients with tubular disorders, however, frequently are older and can have a compromised renal function. We therefore evaluated four tubular function tests in individuals with different ages and renal function. We performed furosemide, thiazide, furosemide-fludrocortisone, and desmopressin tests in healthy individuals aged 18-50 years, healthy individuals aged more than 50 years and individuals with compromised renal function. For each tubular function test we included 10 individuals per group. The responses in young healthy individuals were in line with previously reported values in literature. The maximal increase in fractional chloride excretion after furosemide was below the lower limit of young healthy individuals in 5/10 older subjects and in 2/10 patients with compromised renal function. The maximal increase in fractional chloride excretion after thiazide was below the lower limit of young healthy individuals in 6/10 older subjects and in 7/10 patients with compromised renal function. Median maximal urine osmolality after desmopressin was 1002 mosmol/kg H 2 O in young healthy individuals, 820 mosmol/kg H 2 O in older subjects and 624 mosmol/kg H 2 O in patients with compromised renal function. Reference values for tubular function tests obtained in young healthy adults thus cannot simply be extrapolated to older patients or patients with compromised kidney function. Larger validation studies are needed to define true reference values in these patient categories. © 2017 The Authors. Physiological Reports published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of The Physiological Society and the American Physiological Society.

The Tubular Penetration Depth and Adaption of Four Sealers: A Scanning Electron Microscopic Study

PubMed Central

Chen, Huan; Zhao, Xinyuan; Qiu, Yu; Xu, Dengyou

2017-01-01

Background. The tubular penetration and adaptation of the sealer are important factors for successful root canal filling. The aim of this study was to evaluate the tubular penetration depth of four different sealers in the coronal, middle, and apical third of root canals as well as the adaptation of these sealers to root canal walls. Materials and Methods. 50 single-rooted teeth were prepared in this study. Forty-eight of them were filled with different sealers (Cortisomol, iRoot SP, AH-Plus, and RealSeal SE) and respective core filling materials. Then the specimens were sectioned and scanning electron microscopy was employed to assess the tubular penetration and adaptation of the sealers. Results. Our results demonstrated that the maximum penetration was exhibited by RealSeal SE, followed by AH-Plus, iRoot SP, and Cortisomol. As regards the adaptation property to root canal walls, AH-Plus has best adaptation capacity followed by iRoot SP, RealSeal SE, and Cortisomol. Conclusion. The tubular penetration and adaptation vary with the different sealers investigated. RealSeal SE showed the most optimal tubular penetration, whereas AH-Plus presented the best adaptation to the root canal walls. PMID:29479539

Ischemic acute renal failure and antioxidant therapy in the rat. The relation between glomerular and tubular dysfunction.

PubMed Central

Bird, J E; Milhoan, K; Wilson, C B; Young, S G; Mundy, C A; Parthasarathy, S; Blantz, R C

1988-01-01

The effects of antioxidant therapy with probucol were evaluated in rats subjected to 1 h renal ischemia and to 24 h reperfusion. Probucol exerted significant antioxidant effects in renal cortical tubules in vitro when exposed to a catalase-resistant oxidant. At 24 h probucol treatment (IP) improved single nephron glomerular filtration rate (SNGFR) (28.1 +/- 3.3 nl/min) in comparison to untreated ischemic (I) rats (15.2 +/- 3.0), primarily as a result of improving SNGFR in a population of low SNGFR, low flow and/or obstructed nephrons. However, absolute proximal reabsorption remained abnormally low in IP rats at 24 h (5.9 +/- 0.8 nl/min), and cell necrosis was greater than in I rats. Kidney GFR remained low in IP rats due to extensive tubular backleak of inulin measured by microinjection studies. Evaluations after 2 h of reperfusion revealed a higher SNGFR in IP (36 +/- 3.1 nl/min) than I rats (20.8 +/- 2.7 nl/min). Absolute proximal reabsorption was essentially normal (11.6 +/- 1.3 nl/min) in IP rats, which was higher than IP rats at 24 h and the concurrent I rats. Administration of the lipophilic antioxidant, probucol, increased SNGFR and proximal tubular reabsorption within 2 h after ischemic renal failure. Although SNGFR remained higher than I rats at 24 h, absolute reabsorption fell below normal levels and tubular necrosis was more extensive in IP rats. Early improvement in nephron filtration with antioxidants may increase load dependent metabolic demand upon tubules and increase the extent of damage and transport dysfunction. Images PMID:2835399

Response of human renal tubular cells to cyclosporine and sirolimus: A toxicogenomic study

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

Pallet, Nicolas; Rabant, Marion; Xu-Dubois, Yi-Chun

The molecular mechanisms involved in the potentially nephrotoxic response of tubular cells to immunosuppressive drugs remain poorly understood. Transcriptional profiles of human proximal tubular cells exposed to cyclosporine A (CsA), sirolimus (SRL) or their combination, were established using oligonucleotide microarrays. Hierarchical clustering of genes implicated in fibrotic processes showed a clear distinction between expression profiles with CsA and CsA + SRL treatments on the one hand and SRL treatment on the other. Functional analysis found that CsA and CsA + SRL treatments preferentially alter biological processes located at the cell membrane, such as ion transport or signal transduction, whereas SRLmore » modifies biological processes within the nucleus and related to transcriptional activity. Genome wide expression analysis suggested that CsA may induce an endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in tubular cells in vitro. Moreover we found that CsA exposure in vivo is associated with the upregulation of the ER stress marker BIP in kidney transplant biopsies. In conclusion, this toxicogenomic study highlights the molecular interaction networks that may contribute to the tubular response to CsA and SRL. These results may also offer a new working hypothesis for future research in the field of CsA nephrotoxicity. Further studies are needed to evaluate if ER stress detection in tubular cells in human biopsies can predict CsA nephrotoxicity.« less

Compensatory Response by Late Embryonic Tubular Epithelium to the Reduction in Pancreatic Progenitors

PubMed Central

Nishimura, Wataru; Kapoor, Archana; El Khattabi, Ilham; Jin, Wanzhu; Yasuda, Kazuki; Bonner-Weir, Susan; Sharma, Arun

2015-01-01

Early in pancreatic development, epithelial cells of pancreatic buds function as primary multipotent progenitor cells (1°MPC) that specify all three pancreatic cell lineages, i.e., endocrine, acinar and duct. Bipotent "Trunk" progenitors derived from 1°MPC are implicated in directly regulating the specification of endocrine progenitors. It is unclear if this specification process is initiated in the 1°MPC where some 1°MPC become competent for later specification of endocrine progenitors. Previously we reported that in Pdx1 tTA/+ ;tetO MafA (bigenic) mice inducing expression of transcription factor MafA in Pdx1-expressing (Pdx1+) cells throughout embryonic development inhibited the proliferation and differentiation of 1°MPC cells, resulting in reduced pancreatic mass and endocrine cells by embryonic day (E) 17.5. Induction of the transgene only until E12.5 in Pdx1+ 1°MPC was sufficient for this inhibition of endocrine cells and pancreatic mass at E17.5. However, by birth (P0), as we now report, such bigenic pups had significantly increased pancreatic and endocrine volumes with endocrine clusters containing all pancreatic endocrine cell types. The increase in endocrine cells resulted from a higher proliferation of tubular epithelial cells expressing the progenitor marker Glut2 in E17.5 bigenic embryos and increased number of Neurog3-expressing cells at E19.5. A BrdU-labeling study demonstrated that inhibiting proliferation of 1°MPC by forced MafA-expression did not lead to retention of those progenitors in E17.5 tubular epithelium. Our data suggest that the forced MafA expression in the 1°MPC inhibits their competency to specify endocrine progenitors only until E17.5, and after that compensatory proliferation of tubular epithelium gives rise to a distinct pool of endocrine progenitors. Thus, these bigenic mice provide a novel way to characterize the competency of 1°MPC for their ability to specify endocrine progenitors, a critical limitation in our

BLOC-1 and BLOC-3 regulate VAMP7 cycling to and from melanosomes via distinct tubular transport carriers

PubMed Central

Delevoye, Cédric; Romao, Maryse; Owen, David J.; Raposo, Graça

2016-01-01

Endomembrane organelle maturation requires cargo delivery via fusion with membrane transport intermediates and recycling of fusion factors to their sites of origin. Melanosomes and other lysosome-related organelles obtain cargoes from early endosomes, but the fusion machinery involved and its recycling pathway are unknown. Here, we show that the v-SNARE VAMP7 mediates fusion of melanosomes with tubular transport carriers that also carry the cargo protein TYRP1 and that require BLOC-1 for their formation. Using live-cell imaging, we identify a pathway for VAMP7 recycling from melanosomes that employs distinct tubular carriers. The recycling carriers also harbor the VAMP7-binding scaffold protein VARP and the tissue-restricted Rab GTPase RAB38. Recycling carrier formation is dependent on the RAB38 exchange factor BLOC-3. Our data suggest that VAMP7 mediates fusion of BLOC-1–dependent transport carriers with melanosomes, illuminate SNARE recycling from melanosomes as a critical BLOC-3–dependent step, and likely explain the distinct hypopigmentation phenotypes associated with BLOC-1 and BLOC-3 deficiency in Hermansky–Pudlak syndrome variants. PMID:27482051

Nano-tubular cellulose for bioprocess technology development.

PubMed

Koutinas, Athanasios A; Sypsas, Vasilios; Kandylis, Panagiotis; Michelis, Andreas; Bekatorou, Argyro; Kourkoutas, Yiannis; Kordulis, Christos; Lycourghiotis, Alexis; Banat, Ibrahim M; Nigam, Poonam; Marchant, Roger; Giannouli, Myrsini; Yianoulis, Panagiotis

2012-01-01

Delignified cellulosic material has shown a significant promotional effect on the alcoholic fermentation as yeast immobilization support. However, its potential for further biotechnological development is unexploited. This study reports the characterization of this tubular/porous cellulosic material, which was done by SEM, porosimetry and X-ray powder diffractometry. The results showed that the structure of nano-tubular cellulose (NC) justifies its suitability for use in "cold pasteurization" processes and its promoting activity in bioprocessing (fermentation). The last was explained by a glucose pump theory. Also, it was demonstrated that crystallization of viscous invert sugar solutions during freeze drying could not be otherwise achieved unless NC was present. This effect as well as the feasibility of extremely low temperature fermentation are due to reduction of the activation energy, and have facilitated the development of technologies such as wine fermentations at home scale (in a domestic refrigerator). Moreover, NC may lead to new perspectives in research such as the development of new composites, templates for cylindrical nano-particles, etc.

Three-Dimensional Tubular MoS2/PANI Hybrid Electrode for High Rate Performance Supercapacitor.

PubMed

Ren, Lijun; Zhang, Gaini; Yan, Zhe; Kang, Liping; Xu, Hua; Shi, Feng; Lei, Zhibin; Liu, Zong-Huai

2015-12-30

By using three-dimensional (3D) tubular molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) as both an active material in electrochemical reaction and a framework to provide more paths for insertion and extraction of ions, PANI nanowire arrays with a diameter of 10-20 nm can be controllably grown on both the external and internal surface of 3D tubular MoS2 by in situ oxidative polymerization of aniline monomers and 3D tubular MoS2/PANI hybrid materials with different amounts of PANI are prepared. A controllable growth of PANI nanowire arrays on the tubular MoS2 surface provides an opportunity to optimize the capacitive performance of the obtained electrodes. When the loading amount of PANI is 60%, the obtained MoS2/PANI-60 hybrid electrode not only shows a high specific capacitance of 552 F/g at a current density of 0.5 A/g, but also gives excellent rate capability of 82% from 0.5 to 30 A/g. The remarkable rate performance can be mainly attributed to the architecture with synergistic effect between 3D tubular MoS2 and PANI nanowire arrays. Moreover, the MoS2/PANI-60 based symmetric supercapacitor also exhibits the excellent rate performance and good cycling stability. The specific capacitance based on the total mass of the two electrodes is 124 F/g at a current density of 1 A/g and 79% of its initial capacitance is remained after 6000 cycles. The 3D tubular structure provides a good and favorable method for improving the capacitance retention of PANI electrode.

In-Situ TEM-STM Observations of SWCNT Ropes/Tubular Transformations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sola, F.; Lebron-Colon, M.; Ferreira, P. J.; Fonseca, L. F.; Meador, M. A.; Marin, C.

2010-01-01

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) prepared by the HiPco process were purified using a modified gas phase purification technique. A TEM-STM holder was used to study the morphological changes of SWCNT ropes as a function of applied voltage. Kink formation, buckling behavior, tubular transformation and eventual breakdown of the system were observed. The tubular formation was attributed to a transformation from SWCNT ropes to multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) structures. It is likely mediated by the patching and tearing mechanism which is promoted primarily by the mobile vacancies generated due to current-induced heating and, to some extent, by electron irradiation.

Paleoarchean and Cambrian observations of the geodynamo in light of new estimates of core thermal conductivity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tarduno, John; Bono, Richard; Cottrell, Rory

2015-04-01

Recent estimates of core thermal conductivity are larger than prior values by a factor of approximately three. These new estimates suggest that the inner core is a relatively young feature, perhaps as young as 500 million years old, and that the core-mantle heat flux required to drive the early dynamo was greater than previously assumed (Nimmo, 2015). Here, we focus on paleomagnetic studies of two key time intervals important for understanding core evolution in light of the revisions of core conductivity values. 1. Hadean to Paleoarchean (4.4-3.4 Ga). Single silicate crystal paleointensity analyses suggest a relatively strong magnetic field at 3.4-3.45 Ga (Tarduno et al., 2010). Paleointenity data from zircons of the Jack Hills (Western Australia) further suggest the presence of a geodynamo between 3.5 and 3.6 Ga (Tarduno and Cottrell, 2014). We will discuss our efforts to test for the absence/presence of the geodynamo in older Eoarchean and Hadean times. 2. Ediacaran to Early Cambrian (~635-530 Ma). Disparate directions seen in some paleomagnetic studies from this time interval have been interpreted as recording inertial interchange true polar wander (IITPW). Recent single silicate paleomagnetic analyses fail to find evidence for IITPW; instead a reversing field overprinted by secondary magnetizations is defined (Bono and Tarduno, 2015). Preliminary analyses suggest the field may have been unusually weak. We will discuss our on-going tests of the hypothesis that this interval represents the time of onset of inner core growth. References: Bono, R.K. & Tarduno, J.A., Geology, in press (2015); Nimmo, F., Treatise Geophys., in press (2015); Tarduno, J.A., et al., Science (2010); Tarduno, J.A. & Cottrell, R.D., AGU Fall Meeting (2014).

Method and apparatus for forming flues on tubular stock

DOEpatents

Beck, D.E.; Carson, C.

1979-12-21

The present invention is directed to a die mechanism utilized for forming flues on long, relatively narrow tubular stock. These flues are formed by displacing a die from within the tubular stock through perforations previously drilled through the tubular stock at selected locations. The drawing of the die upsets the material to form the flue of the desired configuration. The die is provided with a lubricating system which enables the lubricant to be dispensed uniformly about the entire periphery of the die in contact with the material being upset so as to assure the formation of the flues. Further, the lubricant is dispensed from within the die onto the peripheral surface of the latter at pressures in the range of about 2000 to 10,000 psi so as to assure the adequate lubrication of the die during the drawing operation. By injecting the lubricant at such high pressures, low viscosity liquid, such as water and/or alcohol, may be efficiently used as a lubricant and also provides a mechanism by which the lubricant may be evaporated from the surface of the flues at ambient conditions so as to negate the cleansing operations previously required prior to joining the flues to other conduit mechanisms by fusion welding and the like.

Durability and robustness of tubular molten carbonate fuel cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kawase, Makoto

2017-12-01

One anticipated system for high-efficiency power generation is the combination of syngas from gasification and high temperature fuel cells. The system uses a pressurization system, and it takes into account poisoning by impurities in the syngas. The durability and robustness of the fuel cells used in this system are an important issue for commercial applications. This study focuses on tubular molten carbonate fuel cells (MCFCs), which seem to be relatively durable compared with conventional planar-type MCFCs. Various power generation tests were performed in order to evaluate the durability and robustness of the tubular MCFCs. After continuous generation tests at 0.3 MPa, the cell voltage decay rate was found to be 0.8 mV/1000 h at 0.2 A/cm2. Moreover, it was found to be possible to generate power stably with fuel gas containing 20 ppm H2S. When the differential pressure between the anode and cathode was set to 0.1 MPa, the power generation tests were performed without gas leakage. In addition, starting (heating) and stopping (cooling) could be done in a short period, meaning that the cold start/stop characteristics are favorable. Therefore, the tubular MCFC was confirmed to have the durability necessary for a power generation system.

The Design and Performance Evaluation of Hydroformed Tubular Torsion Beam Axle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Jaehyun; Oh, Jinho; Choi, Hanho

2010-06-01

Suspensions for vehicles are structural devices used for suspending a vehicle body and absorbing shocks from the road. Thus, the suspensions must be designed such that they can attenuate shocks from a road and make passengers feel comfortable despite the shocks, and improve steering stability, determined by the ground contact force of tires during running of vehicles. Another important factor to be considered while designing suspensions is that the suspensions must maintain desired stiffness and desired durability despite the repeated application of shocks from roads thereto. The present relates, in general, to a tubular torsion beam for rear suspensions of vehicles and a manufacturing method thereof and, more particularly, to the provision of tubular torsion beams having excellent roll stiffness and excellent roll strength, produced through hydroforming. The hydroforming technology has a lot of benefit which is shape accuracy, good durability caused by compressive pressure, and good forming quality. In this study, the performance evaluation of the hydroformed tubular torsion beam axle is evaluated.

Late-stage sulfides and sulfarsenides in Lower Cambrian black shale (stone coal) from the Huangjiawan mine, Guizhou Province, People's Republic of China

USGS Publications Warehouse

Belkin, H.E.; Luo, K.

2008-01-01

The Ni-Mo Huangjiawan mine, Guizhou Province, People's Republic of China, occurs in Lower Cambrian black shale (stone coal) in an area where other mines have recently extracted ore from the same horizon. Detailed electron microprobe (EMPA) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) analyses of representative thin sections have revealed a complex assemblage of sulfides and sulfarsenides. Early sulfidic and phosphatic nodules and host matrix have been lithified, somewhat fractured, and then mineralized with later-stage sulfides and sulfarsenides. Gersdorffite, millerite, polydymite, pyrite, sphalerite, chalcopyrite, galena, and clausthalite have been recognized. EMPA data are given for the major phases. Pyrite trace-element distributions and coeval Ni-, As-sulfides indicate that in the main ore layer, the last sulfide deposition was Ni-As-Co-rich. Mo and V deposition were early in the petrogenesis of these rocks. The assemblages gersdorffite-millerite-polydymite (pyrite) and millerite-gersdorffite (pyrite) and the composition of gersdorffite indicate a formation temperature of between 200?? and 300??C suggesting that the last solutions to infiltrate and mineralize the samples were related to hydrothermal processes. Environmentally sensitive elements such as As, Cd, and Se are hosted by sulfides and sulfarsenides and are the main source of these elements to residual soil. Crops grown on them are enriched in these elements, and they may be hazardous for animal and human consumption. ?? Springer-Verlag 2007.

A technical case report on use of tubular retractors for anterior cervical spine surgery.

PubMed

Kulkarni, Arvind G; Patel, Ankit; Ankith, N V

2017-12-19

The authors put-forth this technical report to establish the feasibility of performing an anterior cervical corpectomy and fusion (ACCF) and a two-level anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) using a minimally invasive approach with tubular retractors. First case: cervical spondylotic myelopathy secondary to a large postero-inferiorly migrated disc treated with corpectomy and reconstruction with a mesh cage and locking plate. Second case: cervical disc herniation with radiculopathy treated with a two-level ACDF. Both cases were operated with minimally invasive approach with tubular retractor using a single incision. Technical aspects and clinical outcomes have been reported. No intra or post-operative complications were encountered. Intra-operative blood loss was negligible. The patients had a cosmetic scar on healing. Standard procedure of placement of tubular retractors is sufficient for adequate surgical exposure with minimal invasiveness. Minimally invasive approach to anterior cervical spine with tubular retractors is feasible. This is the first report on use of minimally invasive approach for ACCF and two-level ACDF.

Facile Fabrication of Uniform Polyaniline Nanotubes with Tubular Aluminosilicates as Templates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Long; Liu, Peng

2008-08-01

The uniform polyaniline (PANI) nanotubes, with inner diameter, outer diameter, and tubular thickness of 40, 60, and 10 nm, respectively, were prepared successfully by using natural tubular aluminosilicates as templates. The halloysite nanotubes were coated with PANI via the in situ chemical oxidation polymerization. Then the templates were etched with HCl/HF solution. The PANI nanotubes were characterized using FTIR, X-ray diffraction, and transmission electron microscopy. The conductivity of the PANI nanotubes was found to be 1.752 × 10-5 (Ω·cm)-1.

The characteristics and controlling factor of the multi-stage eogenetic karst in the Longwangmiao Foramtion in Lower Cambrian, western Central Yangtze Block, SW China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, C.

2017-12-01

This study utilized field outcrops, thin sections, geochemical data, and GR logging curves to investigate the development model of paleokarst within the Longwangmiao Formation in the Lower Cambrian, western Central Yangtze Block, SW China. The Longwangmiao Formation, which belongs to a third-order sequence, consists of four forth-order sequences and is located in the uppermost part of the Lower Cambrian. The vertical variations of the δ13C and δ18O values indicate the existence of multi-stage eogenetic karst events. The eogenetic karst event in the uppermost part of the Longwangmiao Formation is recognized by the dripstones developed within paleocaves, vertical paleoweathering crust with four zones (bedrock, a weak weathering zone, an intense weathering zone and a solution collapsed zone), two generations of calcsparite cement showing bright luminescence and a zonation from nonluminescent to bright to nonluminescent, two types breccias (matrix-rich clast-supported chaotic breccia and matrix-supported chaotic breccia) and rundkarren. The episodic variations of stratiform dissolution vugs and breccias in vertical, and facies-controlled dissolution and filling features indicated the development of multi-stages eogenetic karst. The development of the paleokarst model is controlled by multi-level sea-level changes. The long eccentricity cycle dictates the fluctuations of the forth-order sea-level, generating multi-stage eogenetic karst events. The paleokarst model is an important step towards better understanding the link between the probably orbitally forced sea-level oscillations and eogenetic karst in the Lower Cambrian. According to this paleokarst model, hydrocarbon exploration should focus on both the karst highlands and the karst transitional zone.

Trilobite-based biostratigraphy (arthropoda-trilobita) and related faunas of the Cambrian from Sonora, Mexico

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cuen-Romero, F. J.; Valdez-Holguín, J. E.; Buitrón-Sánchez, B. E.; Monreal, R.; Enríquez-Ocaña, L. F.; Aguirre-Hinojosa, E.; Ochoa-Granillo, J. A.; Palafox-Reyes, J. J.

2018-04-01

A biostratigraphic analysis based on trilobites of the main Cambrian outcrops from Sonora, Mexico is performed. The data are based on a combination of field work and published sources, including four previously studied locations from northern and eastern Sonora (Caborca, Cananea, Mazatán, and Arivechi) as well as a new location in the central part of the state of Sonora (San José de Gracia). Chronostratigraphic positions are assigned to the Cambrian outcrops according to Peng et al., 2012 and Cohen et al., 2017. In the Caborca area, the Puerto Blanco, Proveedora, Buelna, Cerro Prieto, Arrojos and El Tren formations comprise a wide range of biozones, which starts from the Fritzaspis Zone until the Glossopleura walcotti Zone (Begadean-Lincolnian Series, global Stage 3-Stage 5, Series 2-Series 3). The Bolsa Quartzite and the Abrigo Limestone exposed in Cananea area are assigned to the Cedaria/Cedarina dakotaensis Zone until the Crepicephalus Zone (Lincolnian Series-Marjuman Stage, global Series 3-Guzhangian). In the San José de Gracia area, The Proveedora, Buelna, Cerro Prieto and El Gavilán formations range from the ?Bristolia mohavensis or ?Bristolia insolens zones until the upper part of Mexicella mexicana Zone, Albertella highlandensis Subzone (Series 2-Series 3, Stage 4-Stage 5). In the Arivechi area, the La Sata, El Mogallón, La Huerta and the Milpillas formations range from Poliella denticulata Zone to the Elvinia Zone (Lincolnian-Millardan, Delamaran-Steptoean, global Series 3-Furongian, Stage 5-Paibian). Paleozoic marine fauna distribution in northwest Mexico and the southwest United States of America, suggest that during this time an extensive faunal province existed, containing a great variety of marine invertebrates with notorious intraspecific affinity. The biotic association includes poriferans, archaeocyathids, brachiopods, mollusks, arthropods and echinoderms as predominant elements.

Human mesenchymal stromal cells transplanted into mice stimulate renal tubular cells and enhance mitochondrial function.

PubMed

Perico, Luca; Morigi, Marina; Rota, Cinzia; Breno, Matteo; Mele, Caterina; Noris, Marina; Introna, Martino; Capelli, Chiara; Longaretti, Lorena; Rottoli, Daniela; Conti, Sara; Corna, Daniela; Remuzzi, Giuseppe; Benigni, Ariela

2017-10-17

Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) are renoprotective and drive regeneration following injury, although cellular targets of such an effect are still ill-defined. Here, we show that human umbilical cord (UC)-MSCs transplanted into mice stimulate tubular cells to regain mitochondrial mass and function, associated with enhanced microtubule-rich projections that appear to mediate mitochondrial trafficking to create a reparative dialogue among adjacent tubular cells. Treatment with UC-MSCs in mice with cisplatin-induced acute kidney injury (AKI) regulates mitochondrial biogenesis in proximal tubuli by enhancing PGC1α expression, NAD + biosynthesis and Sirtuin 3 (SIRT3) activity, thus fostering antioxidant defenses and ATP production. The functional role of SIRT3 in tubular recovery is highlighted by data that in SIRT3-deficient mice with AKI, UC-MSC treatment fails to induce renoprotection. These data document a previously unrecognized mechanism through which UC-MSCs facilitate renal repair, so as to induce global metabolic reprogramming of damaged tubular cells to sustain energy supply.Mesenchymal stromal cells drive renal regeneration following injury. Here, the authors show that human mesenchymal stromal cells, when transplanted into mice with acute kidney injury, stimulate renal tubular cell growth and enhance mitochondrial function via SIRT3.

Elastomer liners for geothermal tubulars Y267 EPDM Liner Program:

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

Hirasuna, A.R.; Davis, D.L.; Flickinger, J.E.

1987-12-01

The elastomer, Y267 EPDM, has been identified as a hydrothermally stable material which can operate at temperatures in excess of 320/sup 0/C. The goal of the Y267 Liner Program was to demonstrate the feasibility of using this material as a liner for mild steel tubulars to prevent or mitigate corrosion. If successful, the usage of EPDM lined pipe by the geothermal community may have a significant impact on operating costs and serve as a viable alternative to the use of alloyed tubulars. Tooling procedures were developed under this program to mold a 0.64 cm (0.25'') thick Y267 EPDM liner intomore » a tubular test section 61 cm (2') in length and 19.1 cm (7.5'') in diameter (ID). A successful effort was made to identify a potential coupling agent to be used to bond the elastomer to the steel tubular wall. This agent was found to withstand the processing conditions associated with curing the elastomer at 288/sup 0/C and to retain a significant level of adhesive strength following hydrothermal testing in a synthetic brine at 260/sup 0/C for a period of 166 hours. Bonding tests were conducted on specimens of mild carbon steel and several alloys including Hastelloy C-276. An objective of the program was to field test the lined section of pipe mentioned above at a geothermal facility in the Imperial Valley. Though a test was conducted, problems encountered during the lining operation precluded an encouraging outcome. The results of the field demonstration were inconclusive. 6 refs., 13 figs., 13 tabs« less

Filament winding technique, experiment and simulation analysis on tubular structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Quanjin, Ma; Rejab, M. R. M.; Kaige, Jiang; Idris, M. S.; Harith, M. N.

2018-04-01

Filament winding process has emerged as one of the potential composite fabrication processes with lower costs. Filament wound products involve classic axisymmetric parts (pipes, rings, driveshafts, high-pressure vessels and storage tanks), non-axisymmetric parts (prismatic nonround sections and pipe fittings). Based on the 3-axis filament winding machine has been designed with the inexpensive control system, it is completely necessary to make a relative comparison between experiment and simulation on tubular structure. In this technical paper, the aim of this paper is to perform a dry winding experiment using the 3-axis filament winding machine and simulate winding process on the tubular structure using CADWIND software with 30°, 45°, 60° winding angle. The main result indicates that the 3-axis filament winding machine can produce tubular structure with high winding pattern performance with different winding angle. This developed 3-axis winding machine still has weakness compared to CAWIND software simulation results with high axes winding machine about winding pattern, turnaround impact, process error, thickness, friction impact etc. In conclusion, the 3-axis filament winding machine improvements and recommendations come up with its comparison results, which can intuitively understand its limitations and characteristics.

Integrated continuous dissolution, refolding and tag removal of fusion proteins from inclusion bodies in a tubular reactor.

PubMed

Pan, Siqi; Zelger, Monika; Jungbauer, Alois; Hahn, Rainer

2014-09-20

An integrated continuous tubular reactor system was developed for processing an autoprotease expressed as inclusion bodies. The inclusion bodies were suspended and fed into the tubular reactor system for continuous dissolving, refolding and precipitation. During refolding, the dissolved autoprotease cleaves itself, separating the fusion tag from the target peptide. Subsequently, the cleaved fusion tag and any uncleaved autoprotease were precipitated out in the precipitation step. The processed exiting solution results in the purified soluble target peptide. Refolding and precipitation yields performed in the tubular reactor were similar to batch reactor and process was stable for at least 20 h. The authenticity of purified peptide was also verified by mass spectroscopy. Productivity (in mg/l/h and mg/h) calculated in the tubular process was twice and 1.5 times of the batch process, respectively. Although it is more complex to setup a tubular than a batch reactor, it offers faster mixing, higher productivity and better integration to other bioprocessing steps. With increasing interest of integrated continuous biomanufacturing, the use of tubular reactors in industrial settings offers clear advantages. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

78 FR 56865 - Certain Oil Country Tubular Goods From India and Turkey: Postponement of Preliminary...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-09-16

... Country Tubular Goods From India and Turkey: Postponement of Preliminary Determination in the... (202) 482-0189 (Turkey), AD/CVD Operations, Import Administration, International Trade Administration... the countervailing duty investigations of certain oil country tubular goods from India and Turkey.\\1...

Facile Fabrication of Uniform Polyaniline Nanotubes with Tubular Aluminosilicates as Templates

PubMed Central

2008-01-01

The uniform polyaniline (PANI) nanotubes, with inner diameter, outer diameter, and tubular thickness of 40, 60, and 10 nm, respectively, were prepared successfully by using natural tubular aluminosilicates as templates. The halloysite nanotubes were coated with PANI via the in situ chemical oxidation polymerization. Then the templates were etched with HCl/HF solution. The PANI nanotubes were characterized using FTIR, X-ray diffraction, and transmission electron microscopy. The conductivity of the PANI nanotubes was found to be 1.752 × 10−5(Ω·cm)−1.

Medullary nephrocalcinosis, distal renal tubular acidosis and polycythaemia in a patient with nephrotic syndrome.

PubMed

Karunarathne, Suneth; Udayakumara, Yapa; Govindapala, Dumitha; Fernando, Harshini

2012-07-26

Medullary nephrocalcinosis and distal renal tubular acidosis are closely associated and each can lead to the other. These clinical entities are rare in patients with nephrotic syndrome and polycythaemia is an unusual finding in such patients. We describe the presence of medullary nephrocalcinosis, distal renal tubular acidosis and polycythaemia in a patient with nephrotic syndrome due to minimal change disease. Proposed mechanisms of polycythaemia in patients with nephrotic syndrome and distal renal tubular acidosis include, increased erythropoietin production and secretion of interleukin 8 which in turn stimulate erythropoiesis. A 22 year old Sri Lankan Sinhala male with nephrotic syndrome due to minimal change disease was investigated for incidentally detected polycythaemia. Investigations revealed the presence of renal tubular acidosis type I and medullary nephrocalcinosis. Despite extensive investigation, a definite cause for polycythaemia was not found in this patient. Treatment with potassium and bicarbonate supplementation with potassium citrate led to correction of acidosis thereby avoiding the progression of nephrocalcinosis and harmful effects of chronic acidosis. The constellation of clinical and biochemical findings in this patient is unique but the pathogenesis of erythrocytosis is not clearly explained. The proposed mechanisms for erythrocytosis in other patients with proteinuria include increased erythropoietin secretion due to renal hypoxia and increased secretion of interleukin 8 from the kidney. This case illustrates that there may exist hitherto unknown connections between tubular and glomerular dysfunction in patients with nephrotic syndrome.

Unusual seismogenic soft-sediment deformation structures in Cambrian epicratonic carbonate deposits, western Colorado, U.S.A

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Myrow, P.; Chen, J.

2013-12-01

A wide variety of unusual penecontemporaneous deformation structures exist in grainstone and flat-pebble conglomerate beds of the Upper Cambrian strata, western Colorado, including slide scarps, thrusted beds, irregular blocks and internally deformed beds. Slide scarps are characterized by concave-up, sharp surfaces that truncate one or more underlying beds. Thrusted beds record movement of a part of a bed onto itself along a moderate to steeply inclined (generally 25°-40°) ramp. The hanging wall lenses in cases show fault-bend geometries, with either intact or mildly deformed bedding. Irregular bedded to internally deformed blocks isolated on generally flat upper bedding surfaces are similar in composition to the underlying beds. These features represent parts of beds that were detached, moved up onto, and some distances across, the laterally adjacent undisturbed bed surfaces. The blocks moved either at the sediment-water interface or intrastratally at shallow depths within overlying muddy deposits. Finally, internally deformed beds have large blocks, fitted fabrics of highly irregular fragments, and contorted lamination, which represent heterogeneous deformation, such as brecciation and liquefaction. The various deformation structures were most probably triggered by earthquakes, considering the nature of deformation (regional distribution of liquefaction structures, and the brittle segmentation and subsequent transportation of semi-consolidated beds) and the reactivation of Mesoproterozoic, crustal-scale shear zones in the central Rockies during the Late Cambrian. Features produced by initial brittle deformation are unusual relative to most reported seismites, and may represent poorly recognized to unrecognized seismogenic structures in the rock record.

Glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor expression in primary porcine proximal tubular cells.

PubMed

Schlatter, P; Beglinger, C; Drewe, J; Gutmann, H

2007-06-07

GLP-1 is secreted into the circulation after food intake. The main biological effects of GLP-1 include stimulation of glucose dependent insulin secretion and induction of satiety feelings. Recently, it was demonstrated in rats and humans that GLP-1 can stimulate renal excretion of sodium. Based on these data, the existence of a renal GLP-1 receptor (GLP-1R) was postulated. However, the exact localization of the GLP-1R and the mechanism of this GLP-1 action have not yet been investigated. Primary porcine proximal tubular cells were isolated from porcine kidneys. Expression of GLP-1R was measured at the mRNA level by quantitative RT-PCR. Protein expression of GLP-1R was verified with immunocytochemistry, immunohistochemistry and Western blot analysis. Functional studies included transport assessments of sodium and glucose using three different GLP-1 concentrations (200 pM, 2 nM and 20 nM), 200 pM exendin-4 (GLP-1 analogue) and an inhibitor of the dipeptidylpeptidase IV (DPPIV) enzyme (P32/98 at 10 microM). Finally, the expression of NHE3, the predominant Na(+)/H(+) exchanger in proximal tubular cells, was also investigated. GLP-1R, NHE3 and DPPIV were expressed at the mRNA level in porcine proximal tubular kidney cells. GLP-1R expression was confirmed at the protein level. Staining of human and pig kidney cortex revealed that GLP-1R was predominantly expressed in proximal tubular cells. Functional assays demonstrated an inhibition of sodium re-absorption with GLP-1 after 3 h of incubation. Exendin-4 and GLP-1 in combination with P32/98 co-administration had no clear influence on glucose and sodium uptake and transport. GLP-1R is functionally expressed in porcine proximal tubular kidney cells. Addition of GLP-1 to these cells resulted in a reduced sodium re-absorption. GLP-1 had no effect on glucose re-absorption. We conclude that GLP-1 modulates sodium homeostasis in the kidney most likely through a direct action via its GLP-1R in proximal tubular cells.

Tidal-bundle sequences in the Jordan Sandstone (Upper Cambrian), southeastern Minnesota, U.S.A.: Evidence for tides along inboard shorelines of the Sauk Epicontinental Sea

USGS Publications Warehouse

Tape, C.H.; Cowan, Clinton A.; Runkel, Anthony C.

2003-01-01

This study documents for the first time tidal bundling in a lower Paleozoic sheet sandstone from the cratonic interior of North America, providing insights into the hydrodynamics of ancient epicontinental seas. The Jordan Sandstone (Upper Cambrian) in the Upper Mississippi Valley contains large-scale planar tabular cross-sets with tidal-bundle sequences, which were analyzed in detail at an exceptional exposure. Tidal-bundle sequences (neap-spring-neap cycles) were delineated by foreset thickening-thinning patterns and composite shale drapes, the latter of which represent accumulations of mud during the neap tides of neap-spring-neap tidal cycles. Fourier analysis of the bundle thickness data from the 26 measurable bundle sequences revealed cycles ranging from 15 to 34 bundles per sequence, which suggests a semidiurnal or mixed tidal system along this part of the Late Cambrian shoreline. We extend the tidal interpretation to widespread occurrences of the same facies in outcrops of lesser quality, where the facies is recognizable but too few bundles are exposed for tidal cycles to be measured. By doing so, this study shows that tidally generated deposits have a significant geographic and temporal extent in Upper Cambrian strata of central mid-continent North America. The deposition and preservation of tidal facies was related to the intermittent development of shoreline embayments during transgressions. The tidally dominated deposits filled ravined topographies that were repeatedly developed on the updip parts of the shoreface. Resulting coastal geomorphologies, accompanied perhaps by larger-scale changes in basinal conditions and/or configuration, led to changes in depositional conditions from wave-dominated to tide-dominated. Outcrops of the Jordan Sandstone tidal facies in the Upper Mississippi Valley represent the farthest inboard recorded transmission of ocean-generated tides in the Laurentian epicontinental seas, demonstrating that tidal currents were

Nano-Tubular Cellulose for Bioprocess Technology Development

PubMed Central

Koutinas, Athanasios A.; Sypsas, Vasilios; Kandylis, Panagiotis; Michelis, Andreas; Bekatorou, Argyro; Kourkoutas, Yiannis; Kordulis, Christos; Lycourghiotis, Alexis; Banat, Ibrahim M.; Nigam, Poonam; Marchant, Roger; Giannouli, Myrsini; Yianoulis, Panagiotis

2012-01-01

Delignified cellulosic material has shown a significant promotional effect on the alcoholic fermentation as yeast immobilization support. However, its potential for further biotechnological development is unexploited. This study reports the characterization of this tubular/porous cellulosic material, which was done by SEM, porosimetry and X-ray powder diffractometry. The results showed that the structure of nano-tubular cellulose (NC) justifies its suitability for use in “cold pasteurization” processes and its promoting activity in bioprocessing (fermentation). The last was explained by a glucose pump theory. Also, it was demonstrated that crystallization of viscous invert sugar solutions during freeze drying could not be otherwise achieved unless NC was present. This effect as well as the feasibility of extremely low temperature fermentation are due to reduction of the activation energy, and have facilitated the development of technologies such as wine fermentations at home scale (in a domestic refrigerator). Moreover, NC may lead to new perspectives in research such as the development of new composites, templates for cylindrical nano-particles, etc. PMID:22496794

Comprehensive clinical approach to renal tubular acidosis.

PubMed

Sharma, Sonia; Gupta, Ankur; Saxena, Sanjiv

2015-08-01

Renal tubular acidosis (RTA) is essentially characterized by normal anion gap and hyperchloremic metabolic acidosis. It is important to understand that despite knowing the disease for 60-70 years, complexities in the laboratory tests and their interpretation still make clinicians cautious to diagnose and label types of tubular disorder. Hence, we are writing this mini-review to emphasize on the step wise approach to RTA with some understanding on its basic etiopathogenesis. This will definitely help to have an accurate interpretation of urine and blood reports in correlation with the clinical condition. RTA can be a primary or secondary defect and results either due to abnormality in bicarbonate ion absorption or hydrogen ion secretion. Primary defects are common in children due to gene mutation or idiopathic nature while secondary forms are more common in adults. We are focusing and explaining here in this review all the clinical and laboratory parameters which are essential for making the diagnosis of RTA and excluding the extrarenal causes of hyperchloremic, normal anion gap metabolic acidosis.

A Role for Tubular Necroptosis in Cisplatin-Induced AKI

PubMed Central

Xu, Yanfang; Ma, Huabin; Shao, Jing; Wu, Jianfeng; Zhou, Linying; Zhang, Zhirong; Wang, Yuze; Huang, Zhe; Ren, Junming; Liu, Suhuan; Chen, Xiangmei

2015-01-01

Cell death and inflammation in the proximal tubules are the hallmarks of cisplatin-induced AKI, but the mechanisms underlying these effects have not been fully elucidated. Here, we investigated whether necroptosis, a type of programmed necrosis, has a role in cisplatin-induced AKI. We found that inhibition of any of the core components of the necroptotic pathway—receptor-interacting protein 1 (RIP1), RIP3, or mixed lineage kinase domain-like protein (MLKL)—by gene knockout or a chemical inhibitor diminished cisplatin-induced proximal tubule damage in mice. Similar results were obtained in cultured proximal tubular cells. Furthermore, necroptosis of cultured cells could be induced by cisplatin or by a combination of cytokines (TNF-α, TNF-related weak inducer of apoptosis, and IFN-γ) that were upregulated in proximal tubules of cisplatin-treated mice. However, cisplatin induced an increase in RIP1 and RIP3 expression in cultured tubular cells in the absence of cytokine release. Correspondingly, overexpression of RIP1 or RIP3 enhanced cisplatin-induced necroptosis in vitro. Notably, inflammatory cytokine upregulation in cisplatin-treated mice was partially diminished in RIP3- or MLKL-deficient mice, suggesting a positive feedback loop involving these genes and inflammatory cytokines that promotes necroptosis progression. Thus, our data demonstrate that necroptosis is a major mechanism of proximal tubular cell death in cisplatin-induced nephrotoxic AKI. PMID:25788533

Status report on the development of a tubular electron beam ion source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Donets, E. D.; Donets, E. E.; Becker, R.; Liljeby, L.; Rensfelt, K.-G.; Beebe, E. N.; Pikin, A. I.

2004-05-01

The theoretical estimations and numerical simulations of tubular electron beams in both beam and reflex mode of source operation as well as the off-axis ion extraction from a tubular electron beam ion source (TEBIS) are presented. Numerical simulations have been done with the use of the IGUN and OPERA-3D codes. Numerical simulations with IGUN code show that the effective electron current can reach more than 100 A with a beam current density of about 300-400 A/cm2 and the electron energy in the region of several KeV with a corresponding increase of the ion output. Off-axis ion extraction from the TEBIS, being the nonaxially symmetric problem, was simulated with OPERA-3D (SCALA) code. The conceptual design and main parameters of new tubular sources which are under consideration at JINR, MSL, and BNL are based on these simulations.

The rebirth of interest in renal tubular function.

PubMed

Lowenstein, Jerome; Grantham, Jared J

2016-06-01

The measurement of glomerular filtration rate by the clearance of inulin or creatinine has evolved over the past 50 years into an estimated value based solely on plasma creatinine concentration. We have examined some of the misconceptions and misunderstandings of the classification of renal disease and its course, which have followed this evolution. Furthermore, renal plasma flow and tubular function, which in the past were estimated by the clearance of the exogenous aryl amine, para-aminohippurate, are no longer measured. Over the past decade, studies in experimental animals with reduced nephron mass and in patients with reduced renal function have identified small gut-derived, protein-bound uremic retention solutes ("uremic toxins") that are poorly filtered but are secreted into the lumen by organic anion transporters (OATs) in the proximal renal tubule. These are not effectively removed by conventional hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis. Residual renal function, urine produced in patients with advanced renal failure or undergoing dialysis treatment, may represent, at least in part, secretion of fluid and uremic toxins, such as indoxyl sulfate, mediated by proximal tubule OATs and might serve as a useful survival function. In light of this new evidence of the physiological role of proximal tubule OATs, we suggest that measurement of renal tubular function and renal plasma flow may be of considerable value in understanding and managing chronic kidney disease. Data obtained in normal subjects indicate that renal plasma flow and renal tubular function might be measured by the clearance of the endogenous aryl amine, hippurate. Copyright © 2016 the American Physiological Society.

Evidence for gill slits and a pharynx in Cambrian vetulicolians: implications for the early evolution of deuterostomes

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Vetulicolians are a group of Cambrian metazoans whose distinctive bodyplan continues to present a major phylogenetic challenge. Thus, we see vetulicolians assigned to groups as disparate as deuterostomes and ecdysozoans. This divergence of opinions revolves around a strikingly arthropod-like body, but one that also bears complex lateral structures on its anterior section interpreted as pharyngeal openings. Establishing the homology of these structures is central to resolving where vetulicolians sit in metazoan phylogeny. Results New material from the Chengjiang Lagerstätte helps to resolve this issue. Here, we demonstrate that these controversial structures comprise grooves with a series of openings. The latter are oval in shape and associated with a complex anatomy consistent with control of their opening and closure. Remains of what we interpret to be a musculature, combined with the capacity for the grooves to contract, indicate vetulicolians possessed a pumping mechanism that could process considerable volumes of seawater. Our observations suggest that food captured in the anterior cavity was transported to dorsal and ventral gutters, which then channeled material to the intestine. This arrangement appears to find no counterpart in any known fossil or extant arthropod (or any other ecdysozoan). Anterior lateral perforations, however, are diagnostic of deuterostomes. Conclusions If the evidence is against vetulicolians belonging to one or other group of ecdysozoan, then two phylogenetic options seem to remain. The first is that such features as vetulicolians possess are indicative of either a position among the bilaterians or deuterostomes but apart from the observation that they themselves form a distinctive and recognizable clade current evidence can permit no greater precision as to their phylogenetic placement. We argue that this is too pessimistic a view, and conclude that evidence points towards vetulicolians being members of the stem

Furosemide/Fludrocortisone Test and Clinical Parameters to Diagnose Incomplete Distal Renal Tubular Acidosis in Kidney Stone Formers.

PubMed

Dhayat, Nasser A; Gradwell, Michael W; Pathare, Ganesh; Anderegg, Manuel; Schneider, Lisa; Luethi, David; Mattmann, Cedric; Moe, Orson W; Vogt, Bruno; Fuster, Daniel G

2017-09-07

Incomplete distal renal tubular acidosis is a well known cause of calcareous nephrolithiasis but the prevalence is unknown, mostly due to lack of accepted diagnostic tests and criteria. The ammonium chloride test is considered as gold standard for the diagnosis of incomplete distal renal tubular acidosis, but the furosemide/fludrocortisone test was recently proposed as an alternative. Because of the lack of rigorous comparative studies, the validity of the furosemide/fludrocortisone test in stone formers remains unknown. In addition, the performance of conventional, nonprovocative parameters in predicting incomplete distal renal tubular acidosis has not been studied. We conducted a prospective study in an unselected cohort of 170 stone formers that underwent sequential ammonium chloride and furosemide/fludrocortisone testing. Using the ammonium chloride test as gold standard, the prevalence of incomplete distal renal tubular acidosis was 8%. Sensitivity and specificity of the furosemide/fludrocortisone test were 77% and 85%, respectively, yielding a positive predictive value of 30% and a negative predictive value of 98%. Testing of several nonprovocative clinical parameters in the prediction of incomplete distal renal tubular acidosis revealed fasting morning urinary pH and plasma potassium as the most discriminative parameters. The combination of a fasting morning urinary threshold pH <5.3 with a plasma potassium threshold >3.8 mEq/L yielded a negative predictive value of 98% with a sensitivity of 85% and a specificity of 77% for the diagnosis of incomplete distal renal tubular acidosis. The furosemide/fludrocortisone test can be used for incomplete distal renal tubular acidosis screening in stone formers, but an abnormal furosemide/fludrocortisone test result needs confirmation by ammonium chloride testing. Our data furthermore indicate that incomplete distal renal tubular acidosis can reliably be excluded in stone formers by use of nonprovocative clinical

Smart concrete slabs with embedded tubular PZT transducers for damage detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Weihang; Huo, Linsheng; Li, Hongnan; Song, Gangbing

2018-02-01

The objective of this study is to develop a new concept and methodology of smart concrete slab (SCS) with embedded tubular lead zirconate titanate transducer array for image based damage detection. Stress waves, as the detecting signals, are generated by the embedded tubular piezoceramic transducers in the SCS. Tubular piezoceramic transducers are used due to their capacity of generating radially uniform stress waves in a two-dimensional concrete slab (such as bridge decks and walls), increasing the monitoring range. A circular type delay-and-sum (DAS) imaging algorithm is developed to image the active acoustic sources based on the direct response received by each sensor. After the scattering signals from the damage are obtained by subtracting the baseline response of the concrete structures from those of the defective ones, the elliptical type DAS imaging algorithm is employed to process the scattering signals and reconstruct the image of the damage. Finally, two experiments, including active acoustic source monitoring and damage imaging for concrete structures, are carried out to illustrate and demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Sulfur and Carbon Isotope Systematics in Middle-Upper Cambrian Port au Port Group From Western Newfoundland, Canada: Implications for Seawater Sulfate Concentrations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hurtgen, M. T.; Pruss, S.; Knoll, A. H.

2006-12-01

The biogeochemical cycles of carbon and sulfur are intimately linked through a variety of feedbacks that operate on timescales of days to millions of years. For example, under anaerobic conditions, some bacteria respire organic matter by sulfate reduction, reducing sulfate to sulfide, which then reacts with iron to form iron sulfide (preserved as pyrite). On much longer timescales, increases in the fraction of total carbon buried as organic carbon can drive increases in atmospheric oxygen concentrations which then facilitate an increase in the extent to which sulfides on land are oxidatively weathered and ultimately delivered to the oceans as sulfate via rivers. Interestingly, these two processes impose very different isotope relationships between the C isotope composition of marine dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and the S isotope composition of seawater sulfate. The former leads to a positive correlation between δ13Ccarbonate and δ34Ssulfate whereas the latter prescribes a long-term negative correlation. Of course, the recognition of either a positive or negative correlation between δ13Ccarbonate and δ34Ssulfate depends strongly on the relative sizes of the DIC and seawater sulfate reservoirs-- neither of which is well constrained for the Cambrian Period. Here, we present a high-resolution δ34S (sulfate and pyrite) and δ13Ccarbonate record from the mixed carbonate-siliciclastic Middle-Upper Cambrian Port au Port Group in western Newfoundland, Canada. The δ34Ssulfate profile displays systematic shifts of >15‰ over relatively short stratigraphic distances (10 m, likely to represent < 1 Myr). C isotope values shift sympathetically throughout much of the composite section; however, important deviations from this relationship exist. First, in the Middle Cambrian March Point Formation, a 15‰- δ34Ssulfate decrease precedes a 3‰-δ13Ccarbonate fall suggesting that the sulfur cycle recorded the perturbation to the system before the carbon cycle did

Experimental taphonomy and the anatomy and diversity of the earliest fossil vertebrates (Chengjiang Biota, Cambrian, China)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Purnell, Mark; Gabbott, Sarah; Murdock, Duncan; Cong, Peiyun

2016-04-01

The oldest fossil vertebrates are from the Lower Cambrian Chengjiang biota of China, which contains four genera of fish-like, primitive vertebrates: Haikouichthys, Myllokunmingia, Zhongjianichthys and Zhongxiniscus. These fossils play key roles in calibrating molecular clocks and informing our view of the anatomy of animals close to the origin of vertebrates, potentially including transitional forms between vertebrates and their nearest relatives. Despite the evident importance of these fossils, the degree to which taphonomic processes have affected their anatomical completeness has not been investigated. For example, some or all might have been affected by stemward slippage - the pattern observed in experimental decay of non-biomineralised chordates in which preferential decay of synapomorphies and retention of plesiomorphic characters would cause fossil taxa to erroneously occupy more basal positions than they should. This hypothesis is based on experimental data derived from decay of non-biomineralised chordates under laboratory conditions. We have expanded this analysis to include a broader range of potentially significant environmental variables; we have also compared and combined the results of experiments from several taxa to identify general patterns of chordate decay. Examination of the Chengjiang vertebrates in the light of these results demonstrates that, contrary to some assertions, experimentally derived models of phylogenetic bias are applicable to fossils. Anatomical and phylogenetic interpretations of early vertebrates that do not take taphonomic biases into account risk overestimating diversity and the evolutionary significance of differences between fossil specimens.

Preliminary study on application of urine amino acids profiling for monitoring of renal tubular injury using GLC-MS.

PubMed

Kazubek-Zemke, Maja; Rybka, Jacek; Marchewka, Zofia; Rybka, Wojciech; Pawlik, Krzysztof; Długosz, Anna

2014-11-14

The early diagnosis of the nephrotoxic effect of xenobiotics and drugs is still an unsolved problem. Recent studies suggest a correlation between the nephrotoxic activity of xenobiotics and increased concentration of amino acids in urine. The presented study was focused on the application of GLC-MS method for amino acids profiling in human urine as a noninvasive method for monitoring of kidney condition and tubular injury level. The analytic method is based on the conversion of the amino acids present in the sample to tert-butyldimethylsilyl (TBDMS) derivatives and their analysis by gas-liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (GLC-MS). The procedure of urine sample preparation for chromatographic analysis was optimized. The presence of 12 amino acids in most of the tested healthy human urine samples was detected. The significant differences in the levels of particular amino acids between patients with tubular injury and healthy controls were found, especially for lysine, valine, serine, alanine and leucine (on average 30.0, 7.5, 3.6, 2.9 and 0.5 fold respectively). We found that this approach based on GLC-MS detection can be used in nephrotoxicity studies for urine amino acids monitoring in exposure to xenobiotics and drugs.

Renal tubular leakage complicating microcephalic osteodysplastic primordial dwarfism.

PubMed Central

Eason, J; Hall, C M; Trounce, J Q

1995-01-01

We describe a male infant with phenotypic and radiological features of microcephalic osteodysplastic primordial dwarfism type I/III. He showed severe osteoporosis and biochemical derangement owing to renal tubular leakage, which has not previously been reported in this condition. He died aged 5 months. Images PMID:7783178

Polycystin-1 Binds Par3/aPKC and Controls Convergent Extension During Renal Tubular Morphogenesis

PubMed Central

Castelli, Maddalena; Boca, Manila; Chiaravalli, Marco; Ramalingam, Harini; Rowe, Isaline; Distefano, Gianfranco; Carroll, Thomas; Boletta, Alessandra

2013-01-01

Several organs, including lungs and kidneys, are formed by epithelial tubes whose proper morphogenesis ensures correct function. This is best exemplified by the kidney, where defective establishment or maintanance of tubular diameter results in polycystic kidney disease, a common genetic disorder. Most polycystic kidney disease cases result from loss-of-function mutations in the PKD1 gene, encoding Polycystin-1 (PC-1), a large receptor of unknown function. Here we demonstrate that PC-1 plays an essential role in establishment of correct tubular diameter during nephron development. PC-1 associates with Par3 favoring the assembly of a pro-polarizing Par3/aPKC complex and it regulates a program of cell polarity important for oriented cell migration and for a convergent extension-like process during tubular morphogenesis. Par3 inactivation in the developing kidney results in defective convergent extension and tubular morphogenesis and in renal cyst formation. Our data define PC-1 as central to cell polarization and to epithelial tube morphogenesis and homeostasis. PMID:24153433

Polycystin-1 binds Par3/aPKC and controls convergent extension during renal tubular morphogenesis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Castelli, Maddalena; Boca, Manila; Chiaravalli, Marco; Ramalingam, Harini; Rowe, Isaline; Distefano, Gianfranco; Carroll, Thomas; Boletta, Alessandra

2013-10-01

Several organs, including the lungs and kidneys, are formed by epithelial tubes whose proper morphogenesis ensures correct function. This is best exemplified by the kidney, where defective establishment or maintenance of tubular diameter results in polycystic kidney disease, a common genetic disorder. Most polycystic kidney disease cases result from loss-of-function mutations in the PKD1 gene, encoding Polycystin-1, a large receptor of unknown function. Here we demonstrate that PC-1 has an essential role in the establishment of correct tubular diameter during nephron development. Polycystin-1 associates with Par3 favouring the assembly of a pro-polarizing Par3/aPKC complex and it regulates a programme of cell polarity important for oriented cell migration and for a convergent extension-like process during tubular morphogenesis. Par3 inactivation in the developing kidney results in defective convergent extension and tubular morphogenesis, and in renal cyst formation. Our data define Polycystin-1 as central to cell polarization and to epithelial tube morphogenesis and homeostasis.

Evacuated, displacement compression mold. [of tubular bodies from thermosetting plastics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Heier, W. C. (Inventor)

1974-01-01

A process of molding long thin-wall tubular bodies from thermosetting plastic molding compounds is described wherein the tubular body lengths may be several times the diameters. The process is accomplished by loading a predetermined quantity of molding compound into a female mold cavity closed at one end by a force mandrel. After closing the other end of the female mold with a balance mandrel, the loaded cavity is evacuated by applying a vacuum of from one-to-five mm pressure for a period of fifteen-to-thirty minutes. The mold temperature is raised to the minimum temperature at which the resin constituent of the compound will soften or plasticize and a pressure of 2500 psi is applied.

Oxygen as a driver of early arthropod micro-benthos evolution.

PubMed

Williams, Mark; Vannier, Jean; Corbari, Laure; Massabuau, Jean-Charles

2011-01-01

We examine the physiological and lifestyle adaptations which facilitated the emergence of ostracods as the numerically dominant Phanerozoic bivalve arthropod micro-benthos. The PO(2) of modern normoxic seawater is 21 kPa (air-equilibrated water), a level that would cause cellular damage if found in the tissues of ostracods and much other marine fauna. The PO(2) of most aquatic breathers at the cellular level is much lower, between 1 and 3 kPa. Ostracods avoid oxygen toxicity by migrating to waters which are hypoxic, or by developing metabolisms which generate high consumption of O(2). Interrogation of the Cambrian record of bivalve arthropod micro-benthos suggests a strong control on ecosystem evolution exerted by changing seawater O(2) levels. The PO(2) of air-equilibrated Cambrian-seawater is predicted to have varied between 10 and 30 kPa. Three groups of marine shelf-dwelling bivalve arthropods adopted different responses to Cambrian seawater O(2). Bradoriida evolved cardiovascular systems that favoured colonization of oxygenated marine waters. Their biodiversity declined during intervals associated with black shale deposition and marine shelf anoxia and their diversity may also have been curtailed by elevated late Cambrian (Furongian) oxygen-levels that increased the PO(2) gradient between seawater and bradoriid tissues. Phosphatocopida responded to Cambrian anoxia differently, reaching their peak during widespread seabed dysoxia of the SPICE event. They lacked a cardiovascular system and appear to have been adapted to seawater hypoxia. As latest Cambrian marine shelf waters became well oxygenated, phosphatocopids went extinct. Changing seawater oxygen-levels and the demise of much of the seabed bradoriid micro-benthos favoured a third group of arthropod micro-benthos, the ostracods. These animals adopted lifestyles that made them tolerant of changes in seawater O(2). Ostracods became the numerically dominant arthropod micro-benthos of the Phanerozoic. Our work

Oxygen as a Driver of Early Arthropod Micro-Benthos Evolution

PubMed Central

Williams, Mark; Vannier, Jean; Corbari, Laure; Massabuau, Jean-Charles

2011-01-01

Background We examine the physiological and lifestyle adaptations which facilitated the emergence of ostracods as the numerically dominant Phanerozoic bivalve arthropod micro-benthos. Methodology/Principal Findings The PO2 of modern normoxic seawater is 21 kPa (air-equilibrated water), a level that would cause cellular damage if found in the tissues of ostracods and much other marine fauna. The PO2 of most aquatic breathers at the cellular level is much lower, between 1 and 3 kPa. Ostracods avoid oxygen toxicity by migrating to waters which are hypoxic, or by developing metabolisms which generate high consumption of O2. Interrogation of the Cambrian record of bivalve arthropod micro-benthos suggests a strong control on ecosystem evolution exerted by changing seawater O2 levels. The PO2 of air-equilibrated Cambrian-seawater is predicted to have varied between 10 and 30 kPa. Three groups of marine shelf-dwelling bivalve arthropods adopted different responses to Cambrian seawater O2. Bradoriida evolved cardiovascular systems that favoured colonization of oxygenated marine waters. Their biodiversity declined during intervals associated with black shale deposition and marine shelf anoxia and their diversity may also have been curtailed by elevated late Cambrian (Furongian) oxygen-levels that increased the PO2 gradient between seawater and bradoriid tissues. Phosphatocopida responded to Cambrian anoxia differently, reaching their peak during widespread seabed dysoxia of the SPICE event. They lacked a cardiovascular system and appear to have been adapted to seawater hypoxia. As latest Cambrian marine shelf waters became well oxygenated, phosphatocopids went extinct. Changing seawater oxygen-levels and the demise of much of the seabed bradoriid micro-benthos favoured a third group of arthropod micro-benthos, the ostracods. These animals adopted lifestyles that made them tolerant of changes in seawater O2. Ostracods became the numerically dominant arthropod micro-benthos of

Investigation on the Effect of Initial Welding Imperfection on Fatigue strength of Tubular Member by FEM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, Kyong-Ho; Shin, Wang Sub; Nguyen Van Vuong, Do; Lee, Chin Hyeong

2018-04-01

Steel tube structure is used for steel structure such as offshore platform, bridges and so on. Also, all circular members of tubular structures are mainly connected by welding. When the steel tubular structures are subjected to repeated loading, not only the load carrying capacity is reduced but also fatigue cracks may develop at the joint part of steel tubular members which are connected by welding. Carrying out welding, welding initial imperfection such as welding deformation and residual stress are inevitably generated at weld part. It was well known that the effect of welding residual and welding deformation on fatigue strength. However, It’s not clear which affects fatigue strength more. However, it’s difficult to clear the effect on fatigue strength by experiment. To clarify these effect, fatigue analysis was carried out by FEM which is based on continuum damage mechanics. On the other hand, coupled three-dimensional non-steady heat conduction analysis, and the thermal elastic-plastic analysis was carried out to reproduce the initial weld state of tubular member. From the result, not only the fatigue strength of welded tubular member but also the fatigue life could be found by FEM fatigue analysis.

Pediatric Tubular Pulmonary Heart Valve from Decellularized Engineered Tissue Tubes

PubMed Central

Reimer, Jay M.; Syedain, Zeeshan H.; Haynie, Bee H.T.; Tranquillo, Robert T.

2015-01-01

Pediatric patients account for a small portion of the heart valve replacements performed, but a pediatric pulmonary valve replacement with growth potential remains an unmet clinical need. Herein we report the first tubular heart valve made from two decellularized, engineered tissue tubes attached with absorbable sutures, which can meet this need, in principle. Engineered tissue tubes were fabricated by allowing ovine dermal fibroblasts to replace a sacrificial fibrin gel with an aligned, cell-produced collagenous matrix, which was subsequently decellularized. Previously, these engineered tubes became extensively recellularized following implantation into the sheep femoral artery. Thus, a tubular valve made from these tubes may be amenable to recellularization and, ideally, somatic growth. The suture line pattern generated three equi-spaced “leaflets” in the inner tube, which collapsed inward when exposed to back pressure, per tubular valve design. Valve testing was performed in a pulse duplicator system equipped with a secondary flow loop to allow for root distention. All tissue-engineered valves exhibited full leaflet opening and closing, minimal regurgitation (< 5%), and low systolic pressure gradients (< 2.5 mmHg) under pulmonary conditions. Valve performance was maintained under various trans-root pressure gradients and no tissue damage was evident after 2 million cycles of fatigue testing. PMID:26036175

Minimally Invasive Tubular Resection of Lumbar Synovial Cysts: Report of 40 Consecutive Cases.

PubMed

Birch, Barry D; Aoun, Rami James N; Elbert, Gregg A; Patel, Naresh P; Krishna, Chandan; Lyons, Mark K

2016-10-01

Lumbar synovial cysts are a relatively common clinical finding. Surgical treatment of symptomatic synovial cysts includes computed tomography-guided aspiration, open resection and minimally invasive tubular resection. We report our series of 40 consecutive minimally invasive microscopic tubular lumbar synovial cyst resections. Following Institutional Review Board approval, a retrospective analysis of 40 cases of minimally invasive microscopic tubular retractor synovial cyst resections at a single institution by a single surgeon (B.D.B.) was conducted. Gross total resection was performed in all cases. Patient characteristics, surgical operating time, complications, and outcomes were analyzed. Lumbar radiculopathy was the presenting symptoms in all but 1 patient, who presented with neurogenic claudication. The mean duration of symptoms was 6.5 months (range, 1-25 months), mean operating time was 58 minutes (range, 25-110 minutes), and mean blood loss was 20 mL (range, 5-50 mL). Seven patients required overnight observation. The median length of stay in the remaining 33 patients was 4 hours. There were 2 cerebrospinal fluid leaks repaired directly without sequelae. The mean follow-up duration was 80.7 months. Outcomes were good or excellent in 37 of the 40 patients, fair in 1 patient, and poor in 2 patients. Minimally invasive microscopic tubular retractor resection of lumbar synovial cysts can be done safely and with comparable outcomes and complication rates as open procedures with potentially reduced operative time, length of stay, and healthcare costs. Patient selection for microscopic tubular synovial cyst resection is based in part on the anatomy of the spine and synovial cyst and is critical when recommending minimally invasive vs. open resection to patients. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Inflatable Tubular Structures Rigidized with Foams

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tinker, Michael L.; Schnell, Andrew R.

2010-01-01

Inflatable tubular structures that have annular cross sections rigidized with foams, and the means of erecting such structures in the field, are undergoing development. Although the development effort has focused on lightweight structural booms to be transported in compact form and deployed in outer space, the principles of design and fabrication are also potentially applicable to terrestrial structures, including components of ultralightweight aircraft, lightweight storage buildings and shelters, lightweight insulation, and sales displays. The use of foams to deploy and harden inflatable structures was first proposed as early as the 1960s, and has been investigated in recent years by NASA, the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory, industry, and academia. In cases of deployable booms, most of the investigation in recent years has focused on solid cross sections, because they can be constructed relatively easily. However, solid-section foam-filled booms can be much too heavy for some applications. In contrast, booms with annular cross sections according to the present innovation can be tailored to obtain desired combinations of stiffness and weight through choice of diameters, wall thicknesses, and foam densities. By far the most compelling advantage afforded by this innovation is the possibility of drastically reducing weights while retaining or increasing the stiffnesses, relative to comparable booms that have solid foamfilled cross sections. A typical boom according to this innovation includes inner and outer polyimide film sleeves to contain foam that is injected between them during deployment.

New Markers of Inflammation and Tubular Damage in Children with Chronic Kidney Disease.

PubMed

Musiał, Kinga; Bargenda, Agnieszka; Drożdż, Dorota; Zwolińska, Danuta

2017-01-01

Monocyte chemoattractant protein- (MCP-) 1, macrophage colony-stimulating factor (MCSF), and neopterin are connected with monocyte migration and transition into macrophages, leading to fibrosis and tubular damage in the course of CKD. The aim of the study was to analyze the applicability of urinary fractional excretion (FE) of MCP1, MCSF, and neopterin, as markers of inflammation and tubular damage, in children with CKD. The study group consisted of 61 children with CKD stages 1-5 and 23 age-matched controls. The serum and urine concentrations of MCP1, MCSF, and neopterin were assessed by ELISA and then the fractional excretion (FE) was calculated. FE MCSF and neopterin values exceeded 1% already in controls. FE MCSF rose significantly since CKD stages 1-2, FE neopterin since CKD stages 3-5. FE MCP1 was below 1% in healthy controls and in CKD stages 1-2, then increased significantly in CKD stages 3-5. The FE MCP-1 values show that inflammation precedes the tubular dysfunction. FE MCSF and FE neopterin may be considered new markers of the renal parenchyma progressive damage. Fractional excretion may become a useful tool in the assessment of inflammation and tubular damage in children with CKD.

ISOLATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF LAMELLAR BODIES AND TUBULAR MYELIN FROM RAT LUNG HOMOGENATES

PubMed Central

Gil, Joan; Reiss, Oscar K.

1973-01-01

Three surface-active fractions which differ in their morphology have been isolated from rat lung homogenates by ultracentrifugation in a discontinuous sucrose density gradient. In order of increasing density, the fractions consisted, as shown by electron microscopy, primarily of common myelin figures, lamellar bodies, and tubular myelin figures. The lipid of all three fractions contained approximately 94% polar lipids and 2% cholesterol. In the case of the common myelin figures and the lamellar bodies, the polar lipids consisted of 73% phosphatidylcholines, 9% phosphatidylserines and inositols, and 8% phosphatidylethanolamines. In the case of the tubular myelin figures, the respective percentages were 58, 19, and 5. Over 90% of the fatty acids of the lecithins of all three fractions were saturated. Electrophoresis of the proteins of the fractions in sodium dodecyl sulfate or Triton X-100 revealed that the lamellar bodies and the tubular myelin figures differed in the mobilities of their proteins. The common myelin figures, however, contained proteins from both of the other fractions. These data indicate that, whereas the lipids of the extracellular, alveolar surfactant(s) originate in the lamellar bodies, the proteins arise from another source. It is further postulated that the tubular myelin figures represent a liquid crystalline state of the alveolar surface-active lipoproteins. PMID:4726305

Modification of tubular ceramic membranes with carbon nanotubes using catalytic chemical vapor deposition.

PubMed

Tran, Duc Trung; Thieffry, Guillemette; Jacob, Matthieu; Batiot-Dupeyrat, Catherine; Teychene, Benoit

2015-01-01

In this study, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were successfully grown on tubular ceramic membranes using the catalytic chemical vapor deposition (CCVD) method. CNTs were synthesized at 650°C for 3-6 h under a 120 mL min(-1) flow of C2H6 on ceramic membranes impregnated with iron salt. The synthesis procedure was beforehand optimized in terms of catalyst amount, impregnation duration and reaction temperature, using small pieces of tubular ceramic membranes. The yield, size and structure of the CNTs produced were characterized using thermogravimetric analysis and microscopic imaging techniques. Afterwards, preliminary filtration tests with alginate and phenol were performed on two modified tubular membranes. The results indicate that the addition of CNTs on the membrane material increased the permeability of ceramic membrane and its ability to reject alginate and adsorb phenol, yet decreased its fouling resistance.

Perspectives on using a multiplex human kidney safety biomarker panel to detect cisplatin-induced tubular toxicity in male and female Cynomolgus monkeys.

PubMed

Chen, Yafei; Dale Thurman, J; Kinter, Lewis B; Bialecki, Russell; Eric McDuffie, J

2017-12-01

Multiplex biomarker panel assays would enable early de-risking of discovery compound related kidney safety liabilities. The objective of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of the Myriad RBM Human KidneyMAP (Multi-Analyte Profile)® v.1.0 panel to detect experimental nephrotoxicity in Cynomolgus monkeys following a single intravenous administration of cisplatin (2.5mg/kg). Urine samples were collected at baseline on day -2; at approximately 4hr post-dose on day 1; and on days 4, 9, 15 and/or 20. Blood samples were collected at predose on day -2; at 4hr post-dose on day 1; and on days 2, 5, 10 and/or 21. Changes in toxicokinetic and biochemistry parameters in plasma, qualitative/quantitative urinalysis parameters, and urinary kidney safety biomarkers were assessed. Kidney tissues were collected on days 2, 5, 10 and 21 for routine microscopy. Cisplatin-induced tubular alterations were characterized by acute and progressive cortical tubular degeneration/necrosis, regeneration, tubular dilation and proteinaceous cast in the absence of statistically significant changes in traditional plasma biochemistry and urinalysis parameters. When normalized to urinary creatinine, cisplatin-induced significant increases in urinary levels of kidney injury molecule 1 (females on day 4), increases in calbindin D28k (males and females on day 4), decreases in Tamm-Horsfall glycoprotein (males on days 1, 4 and 9), and increases in clusterin (females and males on days 15 and 20, respectively), when compared to concurrent controls. This study revealed the usefulness of the Human KidneyMAP® multiplex panel when measuring changes in urine-based biomarkers to reliably detect cisplatin-induced acute/progressive cortical tubular injury in male and female Cynomolgus monkeys. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Exciton Level Structure and Dynamics in Tubular Porphyrin Aggregates

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

Wan, Yan; Stradomska, Anna; Fong, Sarah

2014-10-30

We present an account of the optical properties of the Frenkel excitons in self-assembled porphyrin tubular aggregates that represent an analog to natural photosynthetic antennae. Using a combination of ultrafast optical spectroscopy and stochastic exciton modeling, we address both linear and nonlinear exciton absorption, relaxation pathways, and the role of disorder. The static disorder-dominated absorption and fluorescence line widths show little temperature dependence for the lowest excitons (Q band), which we successfully simulate using a model of exciton scattering on acoustic phonons in the host matrix. Temperature-dependent transient absorption of and fluorescence from the excitons in the tubular aggregates aremore » marked by nonexponential decays with time scales ranging from a few picoseconds to a few nanoseconds, reflecting complex relaxation mechanisms. Combined experimental and theoretical investigations indicate that nonradiative pathways induced by traps and defects dominate the relaxation of excitons in the tubular aggregates. We model the pumpprobe spectra and ascribe the excited-state absorption to transitions from one-exciton states to a manifold of mixed one- and two-exciton states. Our results demonstrate that while the delocalized Frenkel excitons (over 208 (1036) molecules for the optically dominant excitons in the Q (B) band) resulting from strong intermolecular coupling in these aggregates could potentially facilitate efficient energy transfer, fast relaxation due to defects and disorder probably present a major limitation for exciton transport over large distances.« less

Peripheral mineralization of a 3D biodegradable tubular construct as a way to enhance guidance stabilization in spinal cord injury regeneration.

PubMed

Oliveira, A L; Sousa, E C; Silva, N A; Sousa, N; Salgado, A J; Reis, R L

2012-11-01

Spinal cord injuries (SCI) present a major challenge to therapeutic development due to its complexity. Combinatorial approaches using biodegradable polymers that can simultaneously provide a tissue scaffold, a cell vehicle, and a reservoir for sustained drug delivery have shown very promising results. In our previous studies we have developed a novel hybrid system consisting of starch/poly-e-caprolactone (SPCL) semi-rigid tubular porous structure, based on a rapid prototyping technology, filled by a gellan gum hydrogel concentric core for the regeneration within spinal-cord injury sites. In the present work we intend to promote enhanced osteointegration on these systems by pre-mineralizing specifically the external surfaces of the SPCL tubular structures, though a biomimetic strategy, using a sodium silicate gel as nucleating agent. The idea is to create two different cell environments to promote axonal regeneration in the interior of the constructs while inducing osteogenic activity on its external surface. By using a Teflon cylinder to isolate the interior of the scaffold, it was possible to observe the formation of a bone-like poorly crystalline carbonated apatite layer continuously formed only in the external side of the tubular structure. This biomimetic layer was able to support the adhesion of Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells, which have gone under cytoskeleton reorganization in the first hours of culture when compared to cells cultured on uncoated scaffolds. This strategy can be a useful route for locally stimulate bone tissue regeneration and facilitating early bone ingrowth.

Baltica from the Late Precambrian to the Early Ordovician

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Torsvik, T. H.; Cocks, L. R.

2004-05-01

Current thinking supports the existence of the Rodinia supercontinent which consolidated at perhaps 1100 to 1000 million years ago and most probably disintegrated somewhere before 800 Ma. Within the Rodinian collage, Baltica was adjacent to, and probably welded to, Laurentia, with the modern eastern (Uralian) part of Baltica conjugate with the north of Laurentia. Laurentia was in turn attached to the South American terranes of Rio Plata and Amazonia, and possibly also West Africa. Baltica became an independent terrane when it split off from Laurentia, leaving a widening Iapetus Ocean between the two. When this rifting actually commenced is a matter of dispute due to very conflicting palaeomagnetic data from both Laurentia and Baltica; however, we favor that the southern part of the Iapetus, between Laurentia and South America, opened first at about 570 Ma and that this rifting spread gradually northwards until Baltica separated from Laurentia at approximately 550 Ma, near the end of Precambrian time at 543 Ma. New palaeomagnetic and geochronological data from the 616-610 Ma Egersund Dykes (SW Baltica) place Baltica at the south pole whereas subsequent Late Precambrian to Early Cambrian poles places Baltica at lower latitudes. During the late and middle Vendian, the NW margin of Baltica changed from an extensional tectonic regime to an active margin (Timanian Orogeny) in which microcontinental blocks in the Timan-Pechora, northern Ural and Novaya Zemlya areas were united with Baltica at 550-560 Ma. Largely between Middle Cambrian and Middle Ordovician times, the whole large terrane of Baltica underwent a very substantial rotation of about 120°, the maximum rate of this rotation occurred in late Cambrian and early Ordovician times. Much of the craton of Baltica appears to have been submerged under shelf seas for long parts of this time, which lasted from 544 to 490 Ma. As a consequence the olenid trilobite fauna represent a fauna living largely in niches which were

The evolution of the passive continental margin of Norway and its adjacent mainland - using the sub-Cambrian peneplain as a reference surface.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gabrielsen, R. H.; Faleide, J. I.; Jarsve, E. M.

2012-04-01

The structuring, uplift and subsidence of the passive margin and shelf of Norway and its adjacent mainland were affected by several profound geological processes, including inherited basement structural grain related to the Proterozoic and Caledonian orogens and also including the extensional collapse of the Caledonides (Gabrielsen et al. 2000). This has been followed by several stages of late Palaoezoic - Cenozoic rifting and associated thermotectonic activity, Cenozoic accelerated uplift of uncertain origin of the hinterland, creating an irregular pattern of upheaval and, finally Pleistocene - Holocene glacial loading and unloading (Gabrielsen et al. 2010). These processes have strongly influenced the topography of the hinterland, thus causing and acting in concert with climate fluctuations (Nielsen et al. 2009). The correlation of erosional surfaces of regional significance on the shelf and on the mainland is a key to the evaluating the total topography of the margin. Because of the lack of datable surfaces on the mainland, this is problematic. The so-called Paleic surface has been used in this context, but its age and nature is not well constrained and the absence of post-Caledonian rocks in the western and central mainland of southern Norway adds to this complexity. In contrast, the sub-Cambrian peneplain, which is found in larger parts of Scandinavia, is well established when it comes to dating and development (e.g. Strøm 1948). It is generally accepted that this surface had only a minor topography, if any, throughout Scandinavia at the earliest Cambrian. Hence, its present relief is the result of the accumulated vertical displacements from the Caledonian to the Present. Still, even though it was well established through regional mapping already in the late 19th century, much remains in the detailed documentation of this important surface. To improve the topographic accuracy in its characterization, fieldwork has been initiated to establish a detailed WNW

76 FR 39071 - Certain Oil Country Tubular Goods From the People's Republic of China: Rescission of...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-07-05

... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE International Trade Administration [C-570-944] Certain Oil Country Tubular... administrative review of the countervailing duty order on certain oil country tubular goods (``OCTG'') from the... subject to administrative protective order (``APO'') of their responsibility concerning the disposition of...

Cambrian nepheline syenite complex at Jabal Sawda, Midyan region, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

USGS Publications Warehouse

Liddicoat, W.K.; Ramsay, C.R.; Hedge, C.E.

1986-01-01

The only nepheline syenite complex presently known in the Arabian Shield is at Jabal Sawda, about 30 km S of Haql in the extreme NW of Saudi Arabia. It is a post-tectonic, composite intrusion with a crudely concentric structure. A core of leuco-nepheline syenite, a partial ring of mela-nepheline syenite, and an almost complete outer ring of alkali-feldspar syenite are the main rock units. Several mega-inclusions of porphyritic nepheline syenite, nepheline monzosyenite, malignite and ijolite are present in the leuco-nepheline syenite. The chemical composition is notable for very high values of Al2O3, Na2O, Ba, La, Nb, Sr and Zr. U{single bond}Pb isotope dating indicates an emplacement age of 553 ?? 4 Ma, one of an increasing number of reliable Cambrian isotope dates in the northern Red Sea region. ?? 1986.

Cambrian nepheline syenite complex at Jabal Sawda, Midyan region, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liddicoat, W. K.; Ramsay, C. R.; Hedge, C. E.

The only nepheline syenite complex presently known in the Arabian Shield is at Jabal Sawda, about 30 km S of Haql in the extreme NW of Saudi Arabia. It is a post-tectonic, composite intrusion with a crudely concentric structure. A core of leuco-nepheline syenite, a partial ring of mela-nepheline syenite, and an almost complete outer ring of alkali-feldspar syenite are the main rock units. Several mega-inclusions of porphyritic nepheline syenite, nepheline monzosyenite, malignite and ijolite are present in the leuco-nepheline syenite. The chemical composition is notable for very high values of Al 2O 3, Na 2O, Ba, La, Nb, Sr and Zr. U sbnd Pb isotope dating indicates an emplacement age of 553 ± 4 Ma, one of an increasing number of reliable Cambrian isotope dates in the northern Red Sea region.

Nonimaging secondary concentrators for large rim angle parabolic troughs with tubular absorbers.

PubMed

Ries, H; Spirkl, W

1996-05-01

For parabolic trough solar collectors with tubular absorbers, we design new tailored secondary concentrators. The design is applicable for any rim angle of a parabolic reflector. With the secondary, the concentration can be increased by a factor of more than 2 with a compact secondary reflector consisting of a single piece, even for the important case of a rim angle of 90 deg. The parabolic reflector can be used without changes; the reduced absorber is still tubular but smaller than the original absorber and slightly displaced toward the primary.

Tubular forms of papova viruses in human laryngeal papilloma.

PubMed

Arnold, W

1979-01-01

In two cases of recurrent laryngeal papillomatosis tubular forms of papova viruses could be observed. The same material revealed the close relation between nuclear chromatine and the release of particles, as well as a capsomere like substructure of the virions.

In vivo antibody-mediated modulation of aminopeptidase A in mouse proximal tubular epithelial cells.

PubMed

Mentzel, S; Dijkman, H B; van Son, J P; Wetzels, J F; Assmann, K J

1999-07-01

Aminopeptidase A (APA) is one of the many renal hydrolases. In mouse kidney, APA is predominantly expressed on the brush borders and sparsely on the basolateral membranes of proximal tubular epithelial cells. However, when large amounts of monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) against APA were injected into mice, we observed strong binding of the MAbs to the basolateral membranes, whereas the MAbs bound only transiently to the brush borders of the proximal tubular epithelial cells. In parallel, APA itself disappeared from the brush borders by both endocytosis and shedding, whereas it was increasingly expressed on the basolateral sides. Using ultrastructural immunohistology, we found no evidence for transcellular transport of endocytosed APA to the basolateral side of the proximal tubular epithelial cells. The absence of transcellular transport was confirmed by experiments in which we used a low dose of the MAbs. Such a low dose did not result in binding of the MAbs to the brush borders and had no effect on the presence of APA in the brush borders of the proximal tubular epithelial cells. In these experiments we still could observe binding of the MAbs to the basolateral membranes in parallel with the local appearance of APA. In addition, treatment of mice with chlorpromazine, a calmodulin antagonist that interferes with cytoskeletal function, largely inhibited the MAb-induced modulation of APA. Our studies suggest that injection of MAbs to APA specifically interrupts the normal intracellular traffic of this enzyme in proximal tubular epithelial cells. This intracellular transport is dependent on the action of cytoskeletal proteins.

Dynamic responses of concrete-filled steel tubular member under axial compression considering creep effect

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, X. T.; Wang, Y. D.; Dai, C. H.; Ding, M.

2017-08-01

The finite element model of concrete-filled steel tubular member was established by the numerical analysis software considering material nonlinearity to analyze concrete creep effect on the dynamic responses of the member under axial compression and lateral impact. In the model, the constitutive model of core concrete is the plastic damage model, that of steel is the Von Mises yield criterion and kinematic hardening model, and the creep effect at different ages is equivalent to the change of concrete elastic modulus. Then the dynamic responses of concrete-filled steel tubular member considering creep effects was simulated, and the effects of creep on contact time, impact load, deflection, stress and strain were discussed. The fruits provide a scientific basis for the design of the impact resistance of concrete filled steel tubular members.

Cause of Cambrian Explosion - Terrestrial or Cosmic?

PubMed

Steele, Edward J; Al-Mufti, Shirwan; Augustyn, Kenneth A; Chandrajith, Rohana; Coghlan, John P; Coulson, S G; Ghosh, Sudipto; Gillman, Mark; Gorczynski, Reginald M; Klyce, Brig; Louis, Godfrey; Mahanama, Kithsiri; Oliver, Keith R; Padron, Julio; Qu, Jiangwen; Schuster, John A; Smith, W E; Snyder, Duane P; Steele, Julian A; Stewart, Brent J; Temple, Robert; Tokoro, Gensuke; Tout, Christopher A; Unzicker, Alexander; Wainwright, Milton; Wallis, Jamie; Wallis, Daryl H; Wallis, Max K; Wetherall, John; Wickramasinghe, D T; Wickramasinghe, J T; Wickramasinghe, N Chandra; Liu, Yongsheng

2018-08-01

We review the salient evidence consistent with or predicted by the Hoyle-Wickramasinghe (H-W) thesis of Cometary (Cosmic) Biology. Much of this physical and biological evidence is multifactorial. One particular focus are the recent studies which date the emergence of the complex retroviruses of vertebrate lines at or just before the Cambrian Explosion of ∼500 Ma. Such viruses are known to be plausibly associated with major evolutionary genomic processes. We believe this coincidence is not fortuitous but is consistent with a key prediction of H-W theory whereby major extinction-diversification evolutionary boundaries coincide with virus-bearing cometary-bolide bombardment events. A second focus is the remarkable evolution of intelligent complexity (Cephalopods) culminating in the emergence of the Octopus. A third focus concerns the micro-organism fossil evidence contained within meteorites as well as the detection in the upper atmosphere of apparent incoming life-bearing particles from space. In our view the totality of the multifactorial data and critical analyses assembled by Fred Hoyle, Chandra Wickramasinghe and their many colleagues since the 1960s leads to a very plausible conclusion - life may have been seeded here on Earth by life-bearing comets as soon as conditions on Earth allowed it to flourish (about or just before 4.1 Billion years ago); and living organisms such as space-resistant and space-hardy bacteria, viruses, more complex eukaryotic cells, fertilised ova and seeds have been continuously delivered ever since to Earth so being one important driver of further terrestrial evolution which has resulted in considerable genetic diversity and which has led to the emergence of mankind. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Development of Na-beta alumina batteries at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory: From tubular to planar

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

Lu, Xiaochuan; Li, Guosheng; Meinhardt, Kerry D.

2016-07-28

Na-beta alumina batteries are one of the most promising technologies for renewable energy storage and grid applications. Na-beta alumina batteries can be constructed in either tubular or planar designs, depending on the shape of the beta-alumina solid electrolyte. The tubular designs have been widely studied and developed since the 1960s primarily because of their ease of sealing. However, planar designs are considered superior to tubular designs in terms of power output, cell packing, ease of assembly, thermal management, and other characteristics. In this paper, we provide an overview on the basic battery electrochemistry, solid electrolyte synthesis and fabrication, battery designs,more » and future trends for further technology improvement.« less

Distal Renal Tubular Acidosis in Infancy: A Bicarbonate Wasting State

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rodriguez-Soriano, J.; And Others

1975-01-01

Studied were three unrelated infants with distal renal tubular acidosis (a condition characterized by an inability to acidify the urine to minimal pH levels resulting in the loss of bicarbonates). (DB)

Les microbialites de l'Anti-Atlas occidental (Maroc) : marqueurs stratigraphiques et témoins des changements environnementaux au Cambrien inférieur Stratigraphic and environmental significance of the Lower-Cambrian western Anti-Atlasic microbialites (Morocco)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Benssaou, Mohammed; Hamoumi, Naima

2004-02-01

Three microbialite forms are recognized in the Lower-Cambrian succession of Irherm area in the western Anti-Atlas (Morocco). Stromatolites, which correspond to non-calcified shallow marine laminated microbialites, are well developed in the basal Lower-Cambrian succession. Occurrence of calcified microbial thrombolites, in the middle part of this succession, reflects an increasing sea level from the peritidal zone to the subtidal environment. In the upper part of this succession, a second increasing water depth event and the development of branching archaeocyathan reefal framework lead to dendritic microbialite emergence. To cite this article: M. Benssaou, N. Hamoumi, C. R. Geoscience 336 (2004).

Les marqueurs structuraux et magmatiques de l'extension crustale au Protérozoïque terminal-Cambrien basal autour du massif de Kerdous (Anti-Atlas occidental, Maroc)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soulaimani, Abderrahmane; Essaifi, Abderrahim; Youbi, Nassrddine; Hafid, Ahmid

2004-12-01

During the Late Precambrian-Early Cambrian times, the borders of the Kerdous inlier were affected by normal faults where thick conglomerates (Ouarzazate Group: PIII), grading progressively upwards into Cambrian marine sediments, were accumulated along their hanging walls. This tectonic activity persisted during the Early Cambrian and was accompanied by a magmatic activity resulting mainly in the emplacement of continental tholeiitic basalts. These tectono-sedimentary and magmatic events are related to the crustal extensional episode that affected the northwestern Gondwana margin during the opening of the Iapetus Ocean during Late Proterozoic times. To cite this article: A. Soulaimani et al., C. R. Geoscience 336 (2004).

Palaeoenvironmental and geochemical approach of Archaeocyath-rich facies from Lower Cambrian of Western Gondwana margin at Central Iberian Zone (Urda, Toledo Mountains, Spain)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Menéndez, Silvia; Rodríguez-Martínez, Marta; Moreno-Eris, Elena; Perejón, Antonio; Reitner, Joachim

2010-05-01

Archaeocyath-rich facies are located in a quarry close to Urda village, at Toledo Mountains, Spain. The outcrops belong to the Caliza de los Navalucillos Formation and they record a considerably high diverse archaeocyath assemblage in the Lower Cambrian successions from the Central Iberian Zone (Julivert et al. 1972 [1974]). In fact, it is first time recorded the presence of Agyrekocyathus, Dokidocyathus, and Plicocyathus in the Central Iberian Zone. Therefore Plicocyathus is no longer exclusive to biozone VI in Spain. The presence of Anthomorpha is characteristic for the early Botomian, presently early Stage 4 (ICS, 2009), and the assemblage corresponds to the biozone VII (late Ovetian, following the biozonation of Perejón & Moreno-Eiris, 2006). The fossiliferous part of the succession is formed by seven lithofacies, all of them tectonically folded and with a low grade metamorphic overprint. They are comprised by two main groups of facies: (a) mound-shaped to massive lithofacies (A1, A2, A3, A4) and (b) massive to bedded and nodular lithofacies (B1, B2, B3). Archaeocyaths occur in several facies: (A1) mound-shaped white marble with irregular to stromatactoid cavities; (A2) massive mottled white to grey limestone; (A3) massive grey limestone with slumps levels; (A4) massive archaeocyath-rich orange limestone; as well as in carbonate nodules embedded in siltstones and cherts (B1, B2 and B3). The best preserved assemblage comes from the nodule record, where fossils are partially pyritized. This type of preservation is exceptional and has never been described before. XRD and wavelength-dispersive electron microprobe analyses reveal the presence of pyrite and pyrrotine partially altered to iron oxides and hydroxides (hematite and goethite) surrounding the archaeocyath cups. In Central Iberian Zone, the development of mounds and nodular facies like those described here is unusual, although the Botomian marks the peak for Early Cambrian archaeocyathan-microbial mounds

Black shale source rocks and oil generation in the Cambrian and Ordovician of the central Appalachian Basin, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ryder, R.T.; Burruss, R.C.; Hatch, J.R.

1998-01-01

Nearly 600 million bbl of oil (MMBO) and 1 to 1.5 trillion ft3 (tcf) of gas have been produced from Cambrian and Ordovician reservoirs (carbonate and sandstone) in the Ohio part of the Appalachian basin and on adjoining arches in Ohio, Indiana, and Ontario, Canada. Most of the oil and gas is concentrated in the giant Lima-Indiana field on the Findlay and Kankakee arches and in small fields distributed along the Knox unconformity. Based on new geochemical analyses of oils, potential source rocks, bitumen extracts, and previously published geochemical data, we conclude that the oils in both groups of fields originated from Middle and Upper Ordovician blcak shale (Utica and Antes shales) in the Appalachian basin. Moroever, we suggest that approximately 300 MMBO and many trillions of cubic feet of gas in the Lower Silurian Clinton sands of eastern Ohio originated in the same source rocks. Oils from the Cambrian and Ordovician reservoirs have similar saturated hydrocarbon compositions, biomarker distributions, and carbon isotope signatures. Regional variations in the oils are attributed to differences in thermal maturation rather than to differences in source. Total organic carbon content, genetic potential, regional extent, and bitument extract geochemistry identify the balck shale of the Utica and Antes shales as the most plausible source of the oils. Other Cambrian and Ordovician shale and carbonate units, such as the Wells Creek formation, which rests on the Knox unconformity, and the Rome Formation and Conasauga Group in the Rome trough, are considered to be only local petroleum sources. Tmax, CAI, and pyrolysis yields from drill-hole cuttings and core indicate that the Utica Shale in eastern and central Ohio is mature with respect to oil generation. Burial, thermal, and hydrocarbon-generation history models suggest that much of the oil was generated from the Utica-Antes source in the late Paleozoic during the Alleghanian orogeny. A pervasive fracture network

Rocket-inspired tubular catalytic microjets with grating-structured walls as guiding empennages.

PubMed

Huang, Gaoshan; Wang, Jiyuan; Liu, Zhaoqian; Zhou, Dekai; Tian, Ziao; Xu, Borui; Li, Longqiu; Mei, Yongfeng

2017-12-07

Controllable locomotion in the micro-/nanoscale is challenging and attracts increasing research interest. Tubular microjets self-propelled by microbubbles are intensively investigated due to their high energy conversion efficiency, but the imperfection of the tubular geometry makes it harder to realize linear motion. Inspired by the macro rocket, we designed a tubular microjet with a grating-structured wall which mimics the guiding empennage of the macro rocket, and we found that the fluid can be effectively guided by the grooves. Both theoretical simulation and experimental work have been carried out, and the obtained results demonstrate that the stability margin of the grating-structured microjet can be enhanced. Compared with microjets with smooth walls, the structured microjets show an enhanced ability of moving linearly. In 10% H 2 O 2 , only 20% of the smooth microjets demonstrate linear trajectories, while 80% of the grating-structured microjets keep moving straight. The grating-structured microjet can maintain linear motion under external disturbance. We further propose to increase the stability by introducing a helical grating structure.

A new tubular hot-wire CVD for diamond coating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Motahari, Hamid; Bellah, Samad Moemen; Malekfar, Rasoul

2017-06-01

A new tubular hot-wire chemical vapor deposition (HWCVD) system using a tubular quartz vacuum chamber has been fabricated. The filaments in this system can heat the substrate and act as a gas activator and thermally activator for gas species at the same time. The nano- and microcrystalline diamond coatings on the surface of steel AISI 316 substrates have been grown. To assess the results, SEM and FESEM images and Raman spectroscopy investigations have been applied. The results reveal that micro- and nanocrystalline diamond structures have been formed in the coatings, but the disordered diamond and some non-diamond phases, such as graphitic carbons, are also present in the coating layers. The analytical measurements show the growth of diamond films with well-faceted crystals in (111) direction. However, intrinsic stress, secondary nucleation, and poor adhesion are the main issues of future research for this new designed HWCVD.

Tubular system volume changes in twitch fibres from toad and rat skeletal muscle assessed by confocal microscopy

PubMed Central

Launikonis, Bradley S; Stephenson, D George

2002-01-01

The volume of the extracellular compartment (tubular system) within intact muscle fibres from cane toad and rat was measured under various conditions using confocal microscopy. Under physiological conditions at rest, the fractional volume of the tubular system (t-sysVol) was 1.38 ± 0.09 % (n = 17), 1.41 ± 0.09 % (n = 12) and 0.83 ± 0.07 % (n = 12) of the total fibre volume in the twitch fibres from toad iliofibularis muscle, rat extensor digitorum longus muscle and rat soleus muscle, respectively. In toad muscle fibres, the t-sysVol decreased by 30 % when the tubular system was fully depolarized and decreased by 15 % when membrane cholesterol was depleted from the tubular system with methyl-β-cyclodextrin but did not change as the sarcomere length was changed from 1.93 to 3.30 μm. There was also an increase by 30 % and a decrease by 25 % in t-sysVol when toad fibres were equilibrated in solutions that were 2.5-fold hypertonic and 50 % hypotonic, respectively. When the changes in total fibre volume were taken into consideration, the t-sysVol expressed as a percentage of the isotonic fibre volume did actually decrease as tonicity increased, revealing that the tubular system in intact fibres cannot be compressed below 0.9 % of the isotonic fibre volume. The results can be explained in terms of forces acting at the level of the tubular wall. These observations have important physiological implications showing that the tubular system is a dynamic membrane structure capable of changing its volume in response to the membrane potential, cholesterol depletion and osmotic stress but not when the sarcomere length is changed in resting muscle. PMID:11790823

Tissue Motion and Assembly During Early Cardiovascular Morphogenesis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rongish, Brenda

2010-03-01

Conventional dogma in the field of cardiovascular developmental biology suggests that cardiac precursor cells migrate to the embryonic midline to form a tubular heart. These progenitors are believed to move relative to their extracellular matrix (ECM); responding to stimulatory and inhibitory cues in their environment. The tubular heart that is formed by 30 hours post fertilization is comprised of two concentric layers: the muscular myocardium and the endothelial-like endocardium, which are separated by a thick layer of ECM believed to be secreted predominantly by the myocardial cells. Here we describe the origin and motility of fluorescently tagged endocardial precursors in transgenic (Tie1-YFP) quail embryos (R. Lansford, Caltech) using epifluorescence time-lapse imaging. To visualize the environment of migrating endocardial progenitors, we labeled two ECM components, fibronectin and fibrillin-2, via in vivo microinjection of fluorochrome-conjugated monoclonal antibodies. Dynamic imaging was performed at stages encompassing tubular heart assembly and early looping. We established the motion of endocardial precursor cells and presumptive cardiac ECM fibrils using both object tracking and particle image velocimetry (image cross correlation). We determined the relative importance of directed cell autonomous motility versus passive tissue movements in endocardial morphogenesis. The data show presumptive endocardial cells and cardiac ECM fibrils are swept passively into the anterior and posterior poles of the elongating tubular heart. These quantitative data indicate the contribution of cell autonomous motility displayed by endocardial precursors is limited. Thus, tissue motion drives most of the cell displacements during endocardial morphogenesis.

Cellular Uptake and Localization of Polymyxins in Renal Tubular Cells Using Rationally Designed Fluorescent Probes

PubMed Central

Yun, Bo; Azad, Mohammad A. K.; Nowell, Cameron J.; Nation, Roger L.; Thompson, Philip E.; Roberts, Kade D.

2015-01-01

Polymyxins are cyclic lipopeptide antibiotics that serve as a last line of defense against Gram-negative bacterial superbugs. However, the extensive accumulation of polymyxins in renal tubular cells can lead to nephrotoxicity, which is the major dose-limiting factor in clinical use. In order to gain further insights into the mechanism of polymyxin-induced nephrotoxicity, we have rationally designed novel fluorescent polymyxin probes to examine the localization of polymyxins in rat renal tubular (NRK-52E) cells. Our design strategy focused on incorporating a dansyl fluorophore at the hydrophobic centers of the polymyxin core structure. To this end, four novel regioselectively labeled monodansylated polymyxin B probes (MIPS-9541, MIPS-9542, MIPS-9543, and MIPS-9544) were designed, synthesized, and screened for their antimicrobial activities and apoptotic effects against rat kidney proximal tubular cells. On the basis of the assessment of antimicrobial activities, cellular uptake, and apoptotic effects on renal tubular cells, incorporation of a dansyl fluorophore at either position 6 or 7 (MIPS-9543 and MIPS-9544, respectively) of the polymyxin core structure appears to be an appropriate strategy for generating representative fluorescent polymyxin probes to be utilized in intracellular imaging and mechanistic studies. Furthermore, confocal imaging experiments utilizing these probes showed evidence of partial colocalization of the polymyxins with both the endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria in rat renal tubular cells. Our results highlight the value of these new fluorescent polymyxin probes and provide further insights into the mechanism of polymyxin-induced nephrotoxicity. PMID:26392495

Poly[ADP-ribose] polymerase-1 expression is related to cold ischemia, acute tubular necrosis, and delayed renal function in kidney transplantation.

PubMed

O'Valle, Francisco; Del Moral, Raimundo G M; Benítez, María del Carmén; Martín-Oliva, David; Gómez-Morales, Mercedes; Aguilar, David; Aneiros-Fernández, José; Hernández-Cortés, Pedro; Osuna, Antonio; Moreso, Francesc; Serón, Daniel; Oliver, Francisco J; Del Moral, Raimundo G

2009-09-28

Cold ischemia time especially impacts on outcomes of expanded-criteria donor (ECD) transplantation. Ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury produces excessive poly[ADP-Ribose] Polymerase-1 (PARP-1) activation. The present study explored the hypothesis that increased tubular expression of PARP-1 contributes to delayed renal function in suboptimal ECD kidney allografts and in non-ECD allografts that develop posttransplant acute tubular necrosis (ATN). Nuclear PARP-1 immunohistochemical expression was studied in 326 paraffin-embedded renal allograft biopsies (193 with different degrees of ATN and 133 controls) and in murine Parp-1 knockout model of IR injury. PARP-1 expression showed a significant relationship with cold ischemia time (r coefficient = 0.603), time to effective diuresis (r = 0.770), serum creatinine levels at biopsy (r = 0.649), and degree of ATN (r = 0.810) (p = 0.001, Pearson test). In the murine IR model, western blot showed an increase in PARP-1 that was blocked by Parp-1 inhibitor. Immunohistochemical study of PARP-1 in kidney allograft biopsies would allow early detection of possible delayed renal function, and the administration of PARP-1 inhibitors may offer a therapeutic option to reduce damage from IR in donor kidneys by preventing or minimizing ATN. In summary, these results suggest a pivotal role for PARP-1 in the ATN of renal transplantation. We propose the immunohistochemical assessment of PARP-1 in kidney allograft biopsies for early detection of a possible delayed renal function.

Engineering tubular bone using mesenchymal stem cell sheets and coral particles

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

Geng, Wenxin; Ma, Dongyang; Yan, Xingrong

Highlights: • We developed a novel engineering strategy to solve the limitations of bone grafts. • We fabricated tubular constructs using cell sheets and coral particles. • The composite constructs showed high radiological density and compressive strength. • These characteristics were similar to those of native bone. -- Abstract: The development of bone tissue engineering has provided new solutions for bone defects. However, the cell-scaffold-based approaches currently in use have several limitations, including low cell seeding rates and poor bone formation capacity. In the present study, we developed a novel strategy to engineer bone grafts using mesenchymal stem cell sheetsmore » and coral particles. Rabbit bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells were continuously cultured to form a cell sheet with osteogenic potential and coral particles were integrated into the sheet. The composite sheet was then wrapped around a cylindrical mandrel to fabricate a tubular construct. The resultant tubular construct was cultured in a spinner-flask bioreactor and subsequently implanted into a subcutaneous pocket in a nude mouse for assessment of its histological characteristics, radiological density and mechanical property. A similar construct assembled from a cell sheet alone acted as a control. In vitro observations demonstrated that the composite construct maintained its tubular shape, and exhibited higher radiological density, compressive strength and greater extracellular matrix deposition than did the control construct. In vivo experiments further revealed that new bone formed ectopically on the composite constructs, so that the 8-week explants of the composite sheets displayed radiological density similar to that of native bone. These results indicate that the strategy of using a combination of a cell sheet and coral particles has great potential for bone tissue engineering and repairing bone defects.« less

The urinary excretion of metformin, ceftizoxime and ofloxacin in high serum creatinine rats: Can creatinine predict renal tubular elimination?

PubMed

Ma, Yan-Rong; Zhou, Yan; Huang, Jing; Qin, Hong-Yan; Wang, Pei; Wu, Xin-An

2018-03-01

The renal excretion of creatinine and most drugs are the net result of glomerular filtration and tubular secretion, and their tubular secretions are mediated by individual transporters. Thus, we hypothesized that the increase of serum creatinine (SCr) levels attributing to inhibiting tubular transporters but not glomerular filtration rate (GFR) could be used to evaluate the tubular excretion of drugs mediated by identical or partial overlap transporter with creatinine. In this work, we firstly developed the creatinine excretion inhibition model with normal GFR by competitively inhibiting tubular transporters, and investigated the renal excretion of metformin, ceftizoxime and ofloxacin in vivo and in vitro. The results showed that the 24-hour urinary excretion of metformin and ceftizoxime in model rats were decreased by 25% and 17% compared to that in control rats, respectively. The uptake amount and urinary excretion of metformin and ceftizoxime could be inhibited by creatinine in renal cortical slices and isolated kidney perfusion. However, the urinary excretion of ofloxacin was not affected by high SCr. These results showed that the inhibition of tubular creatinine transporters by high SCr resulted to the decrease of urinary excretion of metformin and ceftizoxime, but not ofloxacin, which implied that the increase of SCr could also be used to evaluate the tubular excretion of drugs mediated by identical or partial overlap transporter with creatinine in normal GFR rats. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Economic Analysis of Anatomic Plating Versus Tubular Plating for the Treatment of Fibula Fractures.

PubMed

Chang, Gerard; Bhat, Suneel B; Raikin, Steven M; Kane, Justin M; Kay, Andrew; Ahmad, Jamal; Pedowitz, David I; Krieg, James

2018-03-01

Ankle fractures are among the most common injuries requiring operative management. Implant choices include one-third tubular plates and anatomically precontoured plates. Although cadaveric studies have not revealed biomechanical differences between various plate constructs, there are substantial cost differences. This study sought to characterize the economic implications of implant choice. A retrospective review was undertaken of 201 consecutive patients with operatively treated OTA type 44B and 44C ankles. A Nationwide Inpatient Sample query was performed to estimate the incidence of ankle fractures requiring fibular plating, and a Monte Carlo simulation was conducted with the estimated at-risk US population for associated plate-specific costs. The authors estimated an annual incidence of operatively treated ankle fractures in the United States of 59,029. The average cost was $90.86 (95% confidence interval, $90.84-$90.87) for a one-third tubular plate vs $746.97 (95% confidence interval, $746.55-$747.39) for an anatomic plate. Across the United States, use of only one-third tubular plating over anatomic plating would result in statistically significant savings of $38,729,517 (95% confidence interval, $38,704,773-$38,754,261; P<.0001). General use of one-third tubular plating instead of anatomic plating whenever possible for fibula fractures could result in cost savings of up to nearly $40 million annually in the United States. Unless clinically justifiable on a per-case basis, or until the advent of studies showing substantial clinical benefit, there currently is no reason for the increased expense from widespread use of anatomic plating for fractures amenable to one-third tubular plating. [Orthopedics. 2018; 41(2):e252-e256.]. Copyright 2018, SLACK Incorporated.

HIF-1-mediated production of exosomes during hypoxia is protective in renal tubular cells.

PubMed

Zhang, Wei; Zhou, Xiangjun; Yao, Qisheng; Liu, Yutao; Zhang, Hao; Dong, Zheng

2017-10-01

Exosomes are nano-sized vesicles produced and secreted by cells to mediate intercellular communication. The production and function of exosomes in kidney tissues and cells remain largely unclear. Hypoxia is a common pathophysiological condition in kidneys. This study was designed to characterize exosome production during hypoxia of rat renal proximal tubular cells (RPTCs), investigate the regulation by hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1), and determine the effect of the exosomes on ATP-depletion-induced tubular cell injury. Hypoxia did not change the average sizes of exosomes secreted by RPTCs, but it significantly increased exosome production in a time-dependent manner. HIF-1 induction with dimethyloxalylglycine also promoted exosome secretion, whereas pharmacological and genetic suppression of HIF-1 abrogated the increase of exosome secretion under hypoxia. The exosomes from hypoxic RPTCs had inhibitory effects on apoptosis of RPTCs following ATP depletion. The protective effects were lost in the exosomes from HIF-1α knockdown cells. It is concluded that hypoxia stimulates exosome production and secretion in renal tubular cells. The exosomes from hypoxic cells are protective against renal tubular cell injury. HIF-1 mediates exosome production during hypoxia and contributes to the cytoprotective effect of the exosomes. Copyright © 2017 the American Physiological Society.

FGF21 is induced in cisplatin nephrotoxicity to protect against kidney tubular cell injury.

PubMed

Li, Fanghua; Liu, Zhiwen; Tang, Chengyuan; Cai, Juan; Dong, Zheng

2018-01-22

Cisplatin, a widely used cancer therapy drug, induces nephrotoxicity or acute kidney injury (AKI), but the underlying mechanism remains unclear, and renal protective approaches are not available. Fibroblast growth factor (FGF)21 is an endocrine factor that regulates glucose uptake, metabolism, and energy expenditure. However, recent work has also implicated FGF21 in cellular stress response under pathogenic conditions. The role and regulation of FGF21 in AKI are unclear. Here, we show that FGF21 was dramatically induced during cisplatin treatment of renal tubular cells in vitro and mouse kidneys in vivo. The inductive response was suppressed by pifithrin (a pharmacological inhibitor of P53), suggesting a role of P53 in FGF21 induction. In cultured renal tubular cells, knockdown of FGF21 aggravated cisplatin-induced apoptosis, whereas supplementation of recombinant FGF21 was protective. Consistently, recombinant FGF21 alleviated cisplatin-induced kidney dysfunction, tissue damage, and tubular apoptosis in mice. Mechanistically, FGF21 suppressed P53 induction and activation during cisplatin treatment. Together, these results indicate that FGF21 is induced during cisplatin nephrotoxicity to protect renal tubules, and recombinant FGF21 may have therapeutic potential.-Li, F., Liu, Z., Tang, C., Cai, J., Dong, Z. FGF21 is induced in cisplatin nephrotoxicity to protect against kidney tubular cell injury.

Micro-tubular solid oxide fuel cell based on a porous yttria-stabilized zirconia support

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Panthi, Dhruba; Tsutsumi, Atsushi

2014-08-01

Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) are promising electrochemical energy conversion devices owing to their high power generation efficiency and environmentally benign operation. Micro-tubular SOFCs, which have diameters ranging from a few millimeters to the sub-millimeter scale, offer several advantages over competing SOFCs such as high volumetric power density, good endurance against thermal cycling, and flexible sealing between fuel and oxidant streams. Herein, we successfully realized a novel micro-tubular SOFC design based on a porous yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) support using multi-step dip coating and co-sintering methods. The micro-tubular SOFC consisted of Ni-YSZ, YSZ, and strontium-doped lanthanum manganite (LSM)-YSZ as the anode, electrolyte, and cathode, respectively. In addition, to facilitate current collection from the anode and cathode, Ni and LSM were applied as an anode current collector and cathode current collector, respectively. Micro-crystalline cellulose was selected as a pore former to achieve better shrinkage behavior of the YSZ support so that the electrolyte layer could be densified at a co-sintering temperature of 1300°C. The developed micro-tubular design showed a promising electrochemical performance with maximum power densities of 525, 442, and 354 mW cm-2 at 850, 800, and 750°C, respectively.

A narrow open tubular column for high efficiency liquid chromatographic separation.

PubMed

Chen, Huang; Yang, Yu; Qiao, Zhenzhen; Xiang, Piliang; Ren, Jiangtao; Meng, Yunzhu; Zhang, Kaiqi; Juan Lu, Joann; Liu, Shaorong

2018-04-30

We report a great feature of open tubular liquid chromatography when it is run using an extremely narrow (e.g., 2 μm inner diameter) open tubular column: more than 10 million plates per meter can be achieved in less than 10 min and under an elution pressure of ca. 20 bar. The column is coated with octadecylsilane and both isocratic and gradient separations are performed. We reveal a focusing effect that may be used to interpret the efficiency enhancement. We also demonstrate the feasibility of using this technique for separating complex peptide samples. This high-resolution and fast separation technique is promising and can lead to a powerful tool for trace sample analysis.

Acquired Fanconi syndrome with proximal tubular cytoplasmic fibrillary inclusions of λ light chain restriction.

PubMed

Yao, Ying; Wang, Su-Xia; Zhang, You-Kang; Wang, Yan; Liu, Li; Liu, Gang

2014-01-01

Light chain proximal tubulopathy is a rarely reported entity associated with plasma cell dyscrasia that classically manifests as acquired Fanconi syndrome and is characterized by the presence of κ-restricted crystals in the proximal tubular cytoplasm. We herein present a case of multiple myeloma with Fanconi syndrome and acute kidney injury due to light chain proximal tubulopathy with light chain cast nephropathy. Prominent phagolysosomes and numerous irregularly shaped inclusions with a fibrillary matrix in the cytoplasm of the proximal tubules were identified on electron microscopy. A monotypic light chain of the λ type was detected in the distal tubular casts, proximal tubular cytoplasmic lysosomes and fibrillary inclusions on immunofluorescence and immune electron microscopy. This case underscores the importance of conducting careful ultrastructural investigations and immunocytologic examinations of light chains for detecting and diagnosing light chain proximal tubulopathy.

Geohydrologic systems in Kansas with emphasis on systems in Upper Cambrian through Lower Cretaceous rocks

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wolf, R.J.; Hansen, C.V.; McGovern, H.E.; Spinazola, J.M.

1990-01-01

This Hydrologic Investigations Atlas, which consists of a series of chapters, presents a description of (1) the physical frameworks and (2) the geohydrology of the principal aquifers and confining systems in Kansas. The report is the result of an investigation that has been made as part of the Central Midwest Regional Aquifer System Analysis (CMRASA), one of several major investigations by the U.S. Geological Survey to define regional aquifer systems. These regional analyses are designed to increase knowledge of major flow regimes and provide data for assessing, developing, and managing water supplies. The CMRASA is an investigation of water in Upper Cambrian through Lower Cretaceous rocks in parts of 10 Central Midwestern States, as shown by the map on the envelope cover.

Soft Plumbing: Direct-Writing and Controllable Perfusion of Tubular Soft Materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guenther, Axel; Omoruwa, Patricia; Chen, Haotian; McAllister, Arianna; Jeronimo, Mark; Malladi, Shashi; Hakimi, Navid; Cao, Li; Ramchandran, Arun

2016-11-01

Tubular and ductular structures are abundant in tissues in a wide variety of diameters, wall thicknesses, and compositions. In spite of their relevance to engineered tissues, organs-on-chips and soft robotics, the rapid and consistent preparation of tubular structures remains a challenge. Here, we use a microfabricated printhead to direct-write biopolymeric tubes with dimensional and compositional control. A biopolymer solution is introduced to the center layer of the printhead, and the confining fluids to the top and the bottom layers. The radially flowing biopolymer solution is sandwiched between confining solutions that initiate gelation, initially assuming the shape of a funnel until emerging through a cylindrical confinement as a continuous biopolymer tube. Tubular constructs of sodium alginate and collagen I were obtained with inner diameters (0.6-2.2mm) and wall thicknesses (0.1-0.4mm) in favorable agreement with predictions of analytical models. We obtained homogeneous tubes with smooth and buckled walls and heterotypic constructs that possessed compositions that vary along the tube circumference or radius. Ductular soft materials were reversibly hosted in 3D printed fluidic devices for the perfusion at well-defined transmural pressures to explore the rich variety of dynamical features associated with collapsible tubes that include buckling, complete collapse, and self-oscillation.

Microvesicles derived from human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells facilitate tubular epithelial cell dedifferentiation and growth via hepatocyte growth factor induction.

PubMed

Ju, Guan-qun; Cheng, Jun; Zhong, Liang; Wu, Shuai; Zou, Xiang-yu; Zhang, Guang-yuan; Gu, Di; Miao, Shuai; Zhu, Ying-jian; Sun, Jie; Du, Tao

2015-01-01

During acute kidney injury (AKI), tubular cell dedifferentiation initiates cell regeneration; hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is involved in modulating cell dedifferentiation. Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-derived microvesicles (MVs) deliver RNA into injured tubular cells and alter their gene expression, thus regenerating these cells. We boldly speculated that MVs might induce HGF synthesis via RNA transfer, thereby facilitating tubular cell dedifferentiation and regeneration. In a rat model of unilateral AKI, the administration of MVs promoted kidney recovery. One of the mechanisms of action is the acceleration of tubular cell dedifferentiation and growth. Both in vivo and in vitro, rat HGF expression in damaged rat tubular cells was greatly enhanced by MV treatment. In addition, human HGF mRNA present in MVs was delivered into rat tubular cells and translated into the HGF protein as another mechanism of HGF induction. RNase treatment abrogated all MV effects. In the in vitro experimental setting, the conditioned medium of MV-treated injured tubular cells, which contains a higher concentration of HGF, strongly stimulated cell dedifferentiation and growth, as well as Erk1/2 signaling activation. Intriguingly, these effects were completely abrogated by either c-Met inhibitor or MEK inhibitor, suggesting that HGF induction is a crucial contributor to the acceleration of cell dedifferentiation and growth. All these findings indicate that MV-induced HGF synthesis in damaged tubular cells via RNA transfer facilitates cell dedifferentiation and growth, which are important regenerative mechanisms.

Tubular electric heater with a thermocouple assembly

DOEpatents

House, R.K.; Williams, D.E.

1975-08-01

This patent relates to a thermocouple or other instrumentation which is installed within the walls of a tubular sheath surrounding a process device such as an electric heater. The sheath comprises two concentric tubes, one or both of which have a longitudinal, concave crease facing the other tube. The thermocouple is fixedly positioned within the crease and the outer tube is mechanically reduced to form an interference fit onto the inner tube. (auth)

A tubular flux-switching permanent magnet machine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, J.; Wang, W.; Clark, R.; Atallah, K.; Howe, D.

2008-04-01

The paper describes a novel tubular, three-phase permanent magnet brushless machine, which combines salient features from both switched reluctance and permanent magnet machine technologies. It has no end windings and zero net radial force and offers a high power density and peak force capability, as well as the potential for low manufacturing cost. It is, therefore, eminently suitable for a variety of applications, ranging from free-piston energy converters to active vehicle suspensions.

Sequence stratigraphy of the Upper Cambrian (Furongian; Jiangshanian and Sunwaptan) Tunnel City Group, Upper Mississippi Valley: Transgressing assumptions of cratonic flooding

USGS Publications Warehouse

Eoff, Jennifer D.

2014-01-01

New data from detailed measured sections permit comprehensive analysis of the sequence framework of the Furongian (Upper Cambrian; Jiangshanian and Sunwaptan stages) Tunnel City Group (Lone Rock Formation and Mazomanie Formation) of Wisconsin and Minnesota. The sequence-stratigraphic architecture of the lower part of the Sunwaptan Stage at the base of the Tunnel City Group, at the contact between the Wonewoc Formation and Lone Rock Formation, records the first part of complex polyphase flooding (Sauk III) of the Laurentian craton, at a scale smaller than most events recorded by global sea-level curves. Flat-pebble conglomerate and glauconite document transgressive ravinement and development of a condensed section when creation of accommodation exceeded its consumption by sedimentation. Thinly-bedded, fossiliferous sandstone represents the most distal setting during earliest highstand. Subsequent deposition of sandstone characterized by hummocky or trough cross-stratification records progradational pulses of shallower, storm- and wave-dominated environments across the craton before final flooding of Sauk III commenced with carbonate deposition during the middle part of the Sunwaptan Stage. Comparison of early Sunwaptan flooding of the inner Laurentian craton to published interpretations from other parts of North America suggests that Sauk III was not a single, long-term accommodation event as previously proposed.

Cellular Uptake and Localization of Polymyxins in Renal Tubular Cells Using Rationally Designed Fluorescent Probes.

PubMed

Yun, Bo; Azad, Mohammad A K; Nowell, Cameron J; Nation, Roger L; Thompson, Philip E; Roberts, Kade D; Velkov, Tony; Li, Jian

2015-12-01

Polymyxins are cyclic lipopeptide antibiotics that serve as a last line of defense against Gram-negative bacterial superbugs. However, the extensive accumulation of polymyxins in renal tubular cells can lead to nephrotoxicity, which is the major dose-limiting factor in clinical use. In order to gain further insights into the mechanism of polymyxin-induced nephrotoxicity, we have rationally designed novel fluorescent polymyxin probes to examine the localization of polymyxins in rat renal tubular (NRK-52E) cells. Our design strategy focused on incorporating a dansyl fluorophore at the hydrophobic centers of the polymyxin core structure. To this end, four novel regioselectively labeled monodansylated polymyxin B probes (MIPS-9541, MIPS-9542, MIPS-9543, and MIPS-9544) were designed, synthesized, and screened for their antimicrobial activities and apoptotic effects against rat kidney proximal tubular cells. On the basis of the assessment of antimicrobial activities, cellular uptake, and apoptotic effects on renal tubular cells, incorporation of a dansyl fluorophore at either position 6 or 7 (MIPS-9543 and MIPS-9544, respectively) of the polymyxin core structure appears to be an appropriate strategy for generating representative fluorescent polymyxin probes to be utilized in intracellular imaging and mechanistic studies. Furthermore, confocal imaging experiments utilizing these probes showed evidence of partial colocalization of the polymyxins with both the endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria in rat renal tubular cells. Our results highlight the value of these new fluorescent polymyxin probes and provide further insights into the mechanism of polymyxin-induced nephrotoxicity. Copyright © 2015, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

CD47 regulates renal tubular epithelial cell self-renewal and proliferation following renal ischemia reperfusion.

PubMed

Rogers, Natasha M; Zhang, Zheng J; Wang, Jiao-Jing; Thomson, Angus W; Isenberg, Jeffrey S

2016-08-01

Defects in renal tubular epithelial cell repair contribute to renal ischemia reperfusion injury, cause acute kidney damage, and promote chronic renal disease. The matricellular protein thrombospondin-1 and its receptor CD47 are involved in experimental renal ischemia reperfusion injury, although the role of this interaction in renal recovery is unknown. We found upregulation of self-renewal genes (transcription factors Oct4, Sox2, Klf4 and cMyc) in the kidney of CD47(-/-) mice after ischemia reperfusion injury. Wild-type animals had minimal self-renewal gene expression, both before and after injury. Suggestive of cell autonomy, CD47(-/-) renal tubular epithelial cells were found to increase expression of the self-renewal genes. This correlated with enhanced proliferative capacity compared with cells from wild-type mice. Exogenous thrombospondin-1 inhibited self-renewal gene expression in renal tubular epithelial cells from wild-type but not CD47(-/-) mice, and this was associated with decreased proliferation. Treatment of renal tubular epithelial cells with a CD47 blocking antibody or CD47-targeting small interfering RNA increased expression of some self-renewal transcription factors and promoted cell proliferation. In a syngeneic kidney transplant model, treatment with a CD47 blocking antibody increased self-renewal transcription factor expression, decreased tissue damage, and improved renal function compared with that in control mice. Thus, thrombospondin-1 via CD47 inhibits renal tubular epithelial cell recovery after ischemia reperfusion injury through inhibition of proliferation/self-renewal. Copyright © 2016 International Society of Nephrology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[Grading of tumors in the tubular digestive tract : Esophagus, stomach, colon and rectum].

PubMed

Bläker, H

2016-07-01

Grading of tumors located in the tubular digestive tract is an integral component of pathology assessment reports but is subordinate to the histological typing of tumors with respect to the prognostic significance. Tumor grading has not been shown to be an independent prognostic marker for most tumor entities in the gastrointestinal tract; however, it may be relevant for further routine treatment decision making in early Union Internationale Contre le Cancer (UICC) stage cancers in which the prognosis for patients is less dominated by advanced tumor spread. Owing to the more favorable prognosis of microsatellite instability in colorectal cancer, the World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended that poorly differentiated tumors should be tested and graded as low grade (G1/G2) when microsatellite instability is detected. This recommendation has been integrated into the German S3 guidelines for colorectal cancers. Accordingly, microsatellite instability testing for grading purposes should become routine practice.

Precambrian Continent Arctida: A New Kinematic Reconstruction of Late Precambrian - Early Paleozoic Arctida U Europe (baltia) Collision

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Borisova, T. P.; Guertseva, M. V.; Egorov, A. Ju.; Kononov, M. V.; Kouznetsov, N. B.

In according to L.P.Zonenshain and L.M.Natapov (1988, 1990), different size conti- nental blocks locating at the margins and inside of present-day Arctic ocean composed the hypothetical early Paleozoic paleocontinent Arctida. The blocks are Kara block (north part of Taymir peninsula, Severnaja Zemlja archipelago and Franz Joseph Land archipelago), north part of Alaska (northward Bruks ridge), Chukchi block, Novosi- birsky block (Novosibirskiye islands together their shelves), several fragments north- ward to the Innuitian orogen (north parts of Peary Land and Ellesmere Island), and Lomonosov ridgeSs block. In the previous kinematic reconstruction it was believed that Arctida as a whole collided with north flanks of Laurentia (Innuitian margin) and Europe (Baltia, Barentsia margin) in middle Paleozoic time. Later, the Arctida (been a fragment of supercontinent Pangea) was fragmented due to a spreading in the Arctic ocean and north part of Atlantic ocean in late Mesozoic and Cenozoic times. Then ArctidaSs fragments were accreted to the Eurasia and North America conti- nents. During the last decade "AEROGEOLOGIA" company has been gathered new data (geologic, stratigraphical, paleomagnetic, and others) of Russian Arctic sector and Svalbard. The data were summarized into "Paleogeographical Atlas for the Rus- sian Arctic sector and Svalbard from Vendian to Jurassic times" (see Abstact SE1.04, ID-NR: EGS02-A-02453). An analyzing of the maps for Vend and Cambrian times allows us to reconsider a few stages of kinematic scenario of late Precambrian - early Paleozoic Arctida U Europe collision. 1) Old interpretation: Arctida was considered as an isolated paleocontinent during early Paleozoic time. New interpretation: during the early Paleozoic Arctida together Europe (Baltia) were assembled into a paleo- continent named us Arcteurope. This conclusion is based on excellent coincidence of Paleozoic paleomagnetic poles of the Kara block (which is a part of Arctida) and Europe

A tubular hybrid Halbach/axially-magnetized permanent-magnet linear machine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sui, Yi; Liu, Yong; Cheng, Luming; Liu, Jiaqi; Zheng, Ping

2017-05-01

A single-phase tubular permanent-magnet linear machine (PMLM) with hybrid Halbach/axially-magnetized PM arrays is proposed for free-piston Stirling power generation system. Machine topology and operating principle are elaborately illustrated. With the sinusoidal speed characteristic of the free-piston Stirling engine considered, the proposed machine is designed and calculated by finite-element analysis (FEA). The main structural parameters, such as outer radius of the mover, radial length of both the axially-magnetized PMs and ferromagnetic poles, axial length of both the middle and end radially-magnetized PMs, etc., are optimized to improve both the force capability and power density. Compared with the conventional PMLMs, the proposed machine features high mass and volume power density, and has the advantages of simple control and low converter cost. The proposed machine topology is applicable to tubular PMLMs with any phases.

Phyllotactic transformations as plastic deformations of tubular crystals with defects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beller, Daniel; Nelson, David

Tubular crystals are 2D lattices in cylindrical topologies, which could be realized as assemblies of colloidal particles, and occur naturally in biological microtubules and in single-walled carbon nanotubes. Their geometry can be understood in the language of phyllotaxis borrowed from botany. We study the mechanics of plastic deformations in tubular crystals in response to tensile stress, as mediated by the formation and separation of dislocation pairs in a triangular lattice. Dislocation motion allows the growth of one phyllotactic arrangement at the expense of another, offering a low-energy, stepwise mode of plastic deformation in response to external stresses. Through theory and simulation, we examine how the tube's radius and helicity affects, and is in turn altered by, dislocation glide. The crystal's bending modulus is found to produce simple but important corrections to the tube's deformation mechanics.

Surface wave resonance and chirality in a tubular cavity with metasurface design

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qin, Yuzhou; Fang, Yangfu; Wang, Lu; Tang, Shiwei; Sun, Shulin; Liu, Zhaowei; Mei, Yongfeng

2018-06-01

Optical microcavities with whispering-gallery modes (WGMs) have been indispensable in both photonic researches and applications. Besides, metasurfaces, have attracted much attention recently due to their strong abilities to manipulate electromagnetic waves. Here, combining these two optical elements together, we show a tubular cavity can convert input propagating cylindrical waves into directed localized surface waves (SWs), enabling the circulating like WGMs along the wall surface of the designed tubular cavity. Finite element method (FEM) simulations demonstrate that such near-field WGM shows both large chirality and high local field. This work may stimulate interesting potential applications in e.g. directional emission, sensing, and lasing.

Tisp40 deficiency attenuates renal ischemia reperfusion injury induced apoptosis of tubular epithelial cells.

PubMed

Qin, Cong; Xiao, Chengcheng; Su, Yang; Zheng, Haizhou; Xu, Tao; Lu, Jingxiao; Luo, Pengcheng; Zhang, Jie

2017-10-01

Renal ischemia reperfusion (IR) is a major cause of acute kidney injury (AKI) and no effective treatments have been established. Tisp40 is a transcription factor of the CREB/ATF family and involves in cell apoptosis, proliferation and differentiation, but its role in renal IR remains unknown. Here, we investigated the role of Tisp40 in renal IR injury. In vivo, Tisp40 knockout (KO) and wild-type (WT) mice were subjected to thirty minutes of bilateral renal ischemia and 48h reperfusion, the blood and kidneys were harvested for analysis. In vitro, Tisp40 overexpression and vector cells were subjected to hypoxia/reoxygenation (HR), the apoptosis rate and the expressions of related proteins were measured. Following IR, the expressions of Tisp40 protein, serum creatinine (sCr), blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and apoptosis of tubular cells were significantly increased in WT mice. However, Tisp40 deficiency significantly attenuated the increase of sCr, BUN and apoptosis of tubular cells. Following HR, apoptosis of tubular cells was increased in Tisp40 overexpression cells compared with vector cells. Mechanistically, Tisp40 promoted the expressions of C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP), Bax and Cleaved caspase3 and suppressed the expression of Bcl-2 in renal IR injury. In conclusion, Tisp40 aggravates tubular cells apoptosis in renal IR injury. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of Temporal Changes in Urine-based Metabolomic and Kidney Injury Markers to Detect Compound Induced Acute Kidney Tubular Toxicity in Beagle Dogs.

PubMed

Wagoner, M P; Yang, Y; McDuffie, J E; Klapczynski, M; Buck, W; Cheatham, L; Eisinger, D; Sace, F; Lynch, K M; Sonee, M; Ma, J-Y; Chen, Y; Marshall, K; Damour, M; Stephen, L; Dragan, Y P; Fikes, J; Snook, S; Kinter, L B

2017-01-01

Urinary protein biomarkers and metabolomic markers have been leveraged to detect acute Drug Induced Kidney Injury (DIKI) in rats; however, the utility of these indicators to enable early detection of DIKI in canine models has not been well documented. Therefore, we evaluated temporal changes in biomarkers and metabolites in urine from male and female beagle dogs. Gentamicin- induced kidney lesions in male dogs were characterized by moderate to severe tubular epithelial cell degeneration/necrosis, epithelial cell regeneration and dilation; and a unique urinebased metabolomic fingerprint. These metabolite changes included time and treatment-dependent increases in lactate, taurine, glucose, lactate, alanine, and citrate as well as 9 other known metabolites. As early as 3 days post dose, gentamicin induced increases in urinary albumin, clusterin, neutrophil gelatinase associated protein (NGAL) and total protein concentrations. Urinary albumin, clusterin, and NGAL showed earlier and more robust elevations than traditional kidney safety biomarkers, blood urea nitrogen and serum creatinine. Elevations in urinary kidney injury molecule 1 (KIM-1) were less reliable for detection of gentamicin nephrotoxicity in dogs based on values generated utilizing multiple first-generation, canine-specific KIM-1 immunoassays. The metabolic fingerprint was further evaluated in male and female dogs that received Compound A which induced slightly reversible renal tubular alterations characterized as degeneration/necrosis and concurrent significant increases in urinary taurine amongst other markers. These data support further investigations to demonstrate the value of urinary metabolites, albumin, clusterin, NGAL and taurine as promising markers to enable early detection of DIKI in dogs. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.

Water-quality assessment of the Cambrian-Ordovician aquifer system in the northern Midwest, United States

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wilson, John T.

2012-01-01

This report provides a regional assessment of groundwater quality of the Cambrian-Ordovician aquifer system, based primarily on raw water samples collected by the NAWQA Program during 1995 through 2007. The NAWQA Program has published findings in local study-unit reports encompassing parts of the Cambrian-Ordovician aquifer system. Data collected from the aquifer system were used in national synthesis reports on selected topics such as specific water-quality constituent classes, well type, or aquifer material; however, a synthesis of groundwater quality at the principal aquifer scale has not been completed and is therefore the major purpose of this report. Water samples collected by the NAWQA Program were analyzed for various classes of characteristics including physical properties, major ions, trace elements, nutrients and dissolved organic carbon, radionuclides (tritium, radon, and radium), pesticides, and volatile organic compounds. Subsequent sections of this report provide discussions on these classes of characteristics. The assessment objectives of this report are to (1) summarize constituent concentrations and compare them to human-health benchmarks and non-health guidelines; (2) determine the geographic distribution of constituent concentrations and relate them to various factors such as confining conditions, well type, land use, and groundwater age; and (3) evaluate near-decadal-scale changes in nitrate concentrations and pesticide detections. The most recent sample collected from each well by the NAWQA Program was used for most analyses. Near-decadal-scale changes in nitrate concentrations and pesticide detections were evaluated for selected well networks by using the most recent sample from each well and comparing it to the results from a sample collected 7 or 11 years earlier. Because some of the NAWQA well networks provide a limited areal coverage of the aquifer system, data for raw water samples from other USGS sources and state agencies were included

Oxidation-etching preparation of MnO2 tubular nanostructures for high-performance supercapacitors.

PubMed

Zhu, Jixin; Shi, Wenhui; Xiao, Ni; Rui, Xianhong; Tan, Huiteng; Lu, Xuehong; Hng, Huey Hoon; Ma, Jan; Yan, Qingyu

2012-05-01

1D hierarchical tubular MnO(2) nanostructures have been prepared through a facile hydrothermal method using carbon nanofibres (CNFs) as sacrificial template. The morphology of MnO(2) nanostructures can be adjusted by changing the reaction time or annealing process. Polycrystalline MnO(2) nanotubes are formed with a short reaction time (e.g., 10 min) while hierarchical tubular MnO(2) nanostructures composed of assembled nanosheets are obtained at longer reaction times (>45 min). The polycrystalline MnO(2) nanotubes can be further converted to porous nanobelts and sponge-like nanowires by annealing in air. Among all the types of MnO(2) nanostructures prepared, tubular MnO(2) nanostructures composed of assembled nanosheets show optimized charge storage performance when tested as supercapacitor electrodes, for example, delivering an power density of 13.33 kW·kg(-1) and a energy density of 21.1 Wh·kg(-1) with a long cycling life over 3000 cycles, which is mainly related to their features of large specific surface area and optimized charge transfer pathway.

Uric Acid Induces Renal Inflammation via Activating Tubular NF-κB Signaling Pathway

PubMed Central

Zhou, Yang; Fang, Li; Jiang, Lei; Wen, Ping; Cao, Hongdi; He, Weichun; Dai, Chunsun; Yang, Junwei

2012-01-01

Inflammation is a pathologic feature of hyperuricemia in clinical settings. However, the underlying mechanism remains unknown. Here, infiltration of T cells and macrophages were significantly increased in hyperuricemia mice kidneys. This infiltration of inflammatory cells was accompanied by an up-regulation of TNF-α, MCP-1 and RANTES expression. Further, infiltration was largely located in tubular interstitial spaces, suggesting a role for tubular cells in hyperuricemia-induced inflammation. In cultured tubular epithelial cells (NRK-52E), uric acid, probably transported via urate transporter, induced TNF-α, MCP-1 and RANTES mRNA as well as RANTES protein expression. Culture media of NRK-52E cells incubated with uric acid showed a chemo-attractive ability to recruit macrophage. Moreover uric acid activated NF-κB signaling. The uric acid-induced up-regulation of RANTES was blocked by SN 50, a specific NF-κB inhibitor. Activation of NF-κB signaling was also observed in tubule of hyperuricemia mice. These results suggest that uric acid induces renal inflammation via activation of NF-κB signaling. PMID:22761883

Additive manufacturing of patient-specific tubular continuum manipulators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amanov, Ernar; Nguyen, Thien-Dang; Burgner-Kahrs, Jessica

2015-03-01

Tubular continuum robots, which are composed of multiple concentric, precurved, elastic tubes, provide more dexterity than traditional surgical instruments at the same diameter. The tubes can be precurved such that the resulting manipulator fulfills surgical task requirements. Up to now the only material used for the component tubes of those manipulators is NiTi, a super-elastic shape-memory alloy of nickel and titan. NiTi is a cost-intensive material and fabrication processes are complex, requiring (proprietary) technology, e.g. for shape setting. In this paper, we evaluate component tubes made of 3 different thermoplastic materials (PLA, PCL and nylon) using fused filament fabrication technology (3D printing). This enables quick and cost-effective production of custom, patient-specific continuum manipulators, produced on site on demand. Stress-strain and deformation characteristics are evaluated experimentally for 16 fabricated tubes of each thermoplastic with diameters and shapes equivalent to those of NiTi tubes. Tubes made of PCL and nylon exhibit properties comparable to those made of NiTi. We further demonstrate a tubular continuum manipulator composed of 3 nylon tubes in a transnasal, transsphenoidal skull base surgery scenario in vitro.

Improved Tubulars for Better Economics in Deep Gas Well Drilling using Microwave Technology

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

Dinesh Agrawal; Paul Gigl; Mahlon Dennis

2006-02-01

The objective of the research program has been to improve the rate-of-penetration in deep hostile environments by improving the life cycle and performance of coiled-tubing, an important component of a deep well drilling system for oil and gas exploration. The current process of the manufacture long tubular steel products consists of shaping the tube from flat strip, welding the seam and sections into lengths that can be miles long, and coiling onto reels. However, the welds, that are a weak point, now limit the performance of the coil tubing. This is not only from a toughness standpoint but also frommore » a corrosion standpoint. By utilizing the latest developments in the sintering of materials with microwave energy and powder metal extrusion technology for the manufacture of seamless coiled tubing and other tubular products, these problems can be eliminated. The project is therefore to develop a continuous microwave process to sinter continuously steel tubulars and butt-join them using microwave/induction process. The program started about three years ago and now we are in the middle of Phase II. In Phase I (which ended in February 2005) a feasibility study of the extrusion process of steel powder and continuously sinter the extruded tubing was conducted. The research program has been based on the development of microwave technology to process tubular specimens of powder metals, especially steels. The existing microwave systems at the Materials Research Laboratory (MRL) and Dennis Tool Company (DTC) were suitably modified to process tubular small specimens. The precursor powder metals were either extruded or cold isostatically pressed (CIP) to form tubular specimens. After conducting an extensive and systematic investigation of extrusion process for producing long tubes, it was determined that there were several difficulties in adopting extrusion process and it cannot be economically used for producing thousands of feet long green tubing. Therefore, in the

Medium-grade tubular proteinuria is common in HIV-positive patients and specifically associated with exposure to tenofovir disoproxil Fumarate.

PubMed

Zeder, A J; Hilge, R; Schrader, S; Bogner, J R; Seybold, U

2016-10-01

The aim of this cross-sectional study was to evaluate the prevalence and risk factors of medium-grade proteinuria (100-500 mg/g creatinine) among HIV-positive adults. Spot urine samples of HIV-positive adults without known renal disease were analyzed quantitatively between January 2009 and February 2011. Demographic and medical data were collected. Multivariate regression models for different patterns of proteinuria were constructed. Among 411 patients, 18 (4.4 %) presented albuminuria >300 mg/g creatinine and/or proteinuria >500 mg/g creatinine and were excluded from further analyses. Among the study population of 393 patients, 181 (46.1 %) had no significant proteinuria or albuminuria (<100 and <30 mg/g creatinine, respectively), 60 (15.3 %) had moderate albuminuria, while 152 (38.7 %) had proteinuria without albuminuria, suggesting tubular proteinuria. Independent predictors for medium-grade tubular proteinuria in multivariate analysis were exposure to tenofovir (DF), a CD4 nadir <500/µl, older age, and anti-HCV-antibodies. There was no association with classic renal risk factors like diabetes mellitus and arterial hypertension, or with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). We detected significant proteinuria in 230 (56.0 %) of 411 HIV-positive patients. Among this group, 152 (66.1 %) had medium-grade proteinuria without albuminuria, which was significantly associated with exposure to tenofovir, older age, a lower CD4 nadir and Hepatitis C. Nephrologic or HIV treatment guidelines fail to detect most of these patients but rather identify patients with high cardiovascular risk. In the absence of an association with eGFR the role of medium-grade tubular proteinuria as a potential early marker of chronic kidney disease remains unclear. Prospective studies are needed.

Mars Life? - Microscopic Tubular Structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1996-01-01

This electron microscope image shows tubular structures of likely Martian origin. These structures are very similar in size and shape to extremely tiny microfossils found in some Earth rocks. This photograph is part of a report by a NASA research team published in the Aug. 16, 1996, issue of the journal Science. A two-year investigation by the team found organic molecules, mineral features characteristic of biological activity and possible microscopic fossils such as these inside of an ancient Martian rock that fell to Earth as a meteorite. The largest possible fossils are less than 1/100th the diameter of a human hair in size while most are ten times smaller.

Distal renal tubular dysfunction: a common feature in calcium stone formers.

PubMed

Megevand, M; Favre, H

1984-12-01

Distal renal tubular acidosis has been reported as an uncommon cause of urinary calcium stone disease. However, this defect appears to be more frequent when appropriate tests are performed systematically. Twenty-nine patients with recurrent calcium stones have been separated into three groups: normocalciuric (group A), renal hypercalciuric (group B) and absorptive hypercalciuric (group C). Distal tubular functions were investigated by the (urine-blood) pCO2 gradient and by an ammonium chloride test. (Urine-blood) pCO2 gradient was (mean +/- SEM), 3.33 +/- 0.59 in group A, 2.95 +/- 0.34 in group B and 3.31 +/- 0.58 kPa in group C. All these values differ significantly from those observed in controls (4.11 +/- 0.28 kPa; P less than 0.05). After 3 days of ammonium chloride loading, ammonium excretion averaged 54.7 +/- 4.2 in group A, 54.4 +/- 4.3 in group B and 64.3 +/- 5.5 mumol min-1 in group C. Values obtained in the first two groups were significantly lower than that achieved by control subjects (76.4 +/- 14.9 mumol min-1). It is concluded that tubular dysfunctions defined as impairments in hydrogen ion secretion and ammonium excretion after an acid challenge are a common feature of the urinary calcium stone disease and play a contributory role in its pathogenesis.

Population analysis of the cingulum bundle using the tubular surface model for schizophrenia detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mohan, Vandana; Sundaramoorthi, Ganesh; Kubicki, Marek; Terry, Douglas; Tannenbaum, Allen

2010-03-01

We propose a novel framework for population analysis of DW-MRI data using the Tubular Surface Model. We focus on the Cingulum Bundle (CB) - a major tract for the Limbic System and the main connection of the Cingulate Gyrus, which has been associated with several aspects of Schizophrenia symptomatology. The Tubular Surface Model represents a tubular surface as a center-line with an associated radius function. It provides a natural way to sample statistics along the length of the fiber bundle and reduces the registration of fiber bundle surfaces to that of 4D curves. We apply our framework to a population of 20 subjects (10 normal, 10 schizophrenic) and obtain excellent results with neural network based classification (90% sensitivity, 95% specificity) as well as unsupervised clustering (k-means). Further, we apply statistical analysis to the feature data and characterize the discrimination ability of local regions of the CB, as a step towards localizing CB regions most relevant to Schizophrenia.

Poly[ADP-Ribose] Polymerase-1 Expression Is Related To Cold Ischemia, Acute Tubular Necrosis, and Delayed Renal Function In Kidney Transplantation

PubMed Central

O'Valle, Francisco; Del Moral, Raimundo G. M.; Benítez, María del Carmén; Martín-Oliva, David; Gómez-Morales, Mercedes; Aguilar, David; Aneiros-Fernández, José; Hernández-Cortés, Pedro; Osuna, Antonio; Moreso, Francesc; Serón, Daniel; Oliver, Francisco J.; Del Moral, Raimundo G.

2009-01-01

Cold ischemia time especially impacts on outcomes of expanded-criteria donor (ECD) transplantation. Ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury produces excessive poly[ADP-Ribose] Polymerase-1 (PARP-1) activation. The present study explored the hypothesis that increased tubular expression of PARP-1 contributes to delayed renal function in suboptimal ECD kidney allografts and in non-ECD allografts that develop posttransplant acute tubular necrosis (ATN). Materials and Methods Nuclear PARP-1 immunohistochemical expression was studied in 326 paraffin-embedded renal allograft biopsies (193 with different degrees of ATN and 133 controls) and in murine Parp-1 knockout model of IR injury. Results PARP-1 expression showed a significant relationship with cold ischemia time (r coefficient = 0.603), time to effective diuresis (r = 0.770), serum creatinine levels at biopsy (r = 0.649), and degree of ATN (r = 0.810) (p = 0.001, Pearson test). In the murine IR model, western blot showed an increase in PARP-1 that was blocked by Parp-1 inhibitor. Immunohistochemical study of PARP-1 in kidney allograft biopsies would allow early detection of possible delayed renal function, and the administration of PARP-1 inhibitors may offer a therapeutic option to reduce damage from IR in donor kidneys by preventing or minimizing ATN. In summary, these results suggest a pivotal role for PARP-1 in the ATN of renal transplantation. We propose the immunohistochemical assessment of PARP-1 in kidney allograft biopsies for early detection of a possible delayed renal function. PMID:19784367

Tubular damage and worsening renal function in chronic heart failure.

PubMed

Damman, Kevin; Masson, Serge; Hillege, Hans L; Voors, Adriaan A; van Veldhuisen, Dirk J; Rossignol, Patrick; Proietti, Gianni; Barbuzzi, Savino; Nicolosi, Gian Luigi; Tavazzi, Luigi; Maggioni, Aldo P; Latini, Roberto

2013-10-01

This study sought to investigate the relationship between tubular damage and worsening renal function (WRF) in chronic heart failure (HF) BACKGROUND: WRF is associated with poor outcome in chronic HF. It is unclear whether urinary tubular markers may identify patients at risk for WRF. In 2,011 patients with chronic HF, we evaluated the ability of urinary tubular markers (N-acetyl-beta-d-glucosaminidase (NAG), kidney injury molecule (KIM)-1, and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) to predict WRF. Finally, we assessed the prognostic importance of WRF. A total of 290 patients (14.4%) experienced WRF during follow-up, and WRF was a strong and independent predictor of all-cause mortality and HF hospitalizations (hazard ratio [HR]: 2.87; 95% CI: 2.40 to 3.43; p < 0.001). Patients with WRF had lower baseline glomerular filtration rate and higher KIM-1, NAG, and NGAL levels. In a multivariable-adjusted model, KIM-1 was the strongest independent predictor of WRF (HR: 1.23; 95% CI: 1.09 to 1.39 per log increase; p = 0.001). WRF was associated with strongly impaired outcome in patients with chronic HF. Increased level of urinary KIM-1 was the strongest independent predictor of WRF and could therefore be used to identify patients at risk for WRF and poor clinical outcome. (GISSI-HF-Effects of n-3 PUFA and Rosuvastatin on Mortality-Morbidity of Patients With Symptomatic CHF; NCT00336336). Copyright © 2013 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Alteration of Fatty Acid Oxidation in Tubular Epithelial Cells: From Acute Kidney Injury to Renal Fibrogenesis

PubMed Central

Simon, Noémie; Hertig, Alexandre

2015-01-01

Renal proximal tubular cells are the most energy-demanding cells in the body. The ATP that they use is mostly produced in their mitochondrial and peroxisomal compartments, by the oxidation of fatty acids. When those cells are placed under a biological stress, such as a transient hypoxia, fatty acid oxidation (FAO) is shut down for a period of time that outlasts injury, and carbohydrate oxidation does not take over. Facing those metabolic constraints, surviving tubular epithelial cells exhibit a phenotypic switch that includes cytoskeletal rearrangement and production of extracellular matrix proteins, most probably contributing to acute kidney injury-induced renal fibrogenesis, thence to the development of chronic kidney disease. Here, we review experimental evidence that dysregulation of FAO profoundly affects the fate of tubular epithelial cells, by promoting epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, inflammation, and eventually interstitial fibrosis. Restoring physiological production of energy is undoubtedly a possible therapeutic approach to unlock the mesenchymal reprograming of tubular epithelial cells in the kidney. In this respect, the benefit of the use of fibrates is uncertain, but new drugs that could specifically target this metabolic pathway, and, hopefully, attenuate renal fibrosis merit future research. PMID:26301223

Tubular organ epithelialisation

PubMed Central

Saksena, Rhea; Gao, Chuanyu; Wicox, Mathew; de Mel, Achala

2016-01-01

Hollow, tubular organs including oesophagus, trachea, stomach, intestine, bladder and urethra may require repair or replacement due to disease. Current treatment is considered an unmet clinical need, and tissue engineering strategies aim to overcome these by fabricating synthetic constructs as tissue replacements. Smart, functionalised synthetic materials can act as a scaffold base of an organ and multiple cell types, including stem cells can be used to repopulate these scaffolds to replace or repair the damaged or diseased organs. Epithelial cells have not yet completely shown to have efficacious cell–scaffold interactions or good functionality in artificial organs, thus limiting the success of tissue-engineered grafts. Epithelial cells play an essential part of respective organs to maintain their function. Without successful epithelialisation, hollow organs are liable to stenosis, collapse, extensive fibrosis and infection that limit patency. It is clear that the source of cells and physicochemical properties of scaffolds determine the successful epithelialisation. This article presents a review of tissue engineering studies on oesophagus, trachea, stomach, small intestine, bladder and urethral constructs conducted to actualise epithelialised grafts. PMID:28228931

Uranium isotopes distinguish two geochemically distinct stages during the later Cambrian SPICE event

PubMed Central

Dahl, Tais W.; Boyle, Richard A.; Canfield, Donald E.; Connelly, James N.; Gill, Benjamin C.; Lenton, Timothy M.; Bizzarro, Martin

2015-01-01

Anoxic marine zones were common in early Paleozoic oceans (542–400 Ma), and present a potential link to atmospheric pO2 via feedbacks linking global marine phosphorous recycling, primary production and organic carbon burial. Uranium (U) isotopes in carbonate rocks track the extent of ocean anoxia, whereas carbon (C) and sulfur (S) isotopes track the burial of organic carbon and pyrite sulfur (primary long-term sources of atmospheric oxygen). In combination, these proxies therefore reveal the comparative dynamics of ocean anoxia and oxygen liberation to the atmosphere over million-year time scales. Here we report high-precision uranium isotopic data in marine carbonates deposited during the Late Cambrian ‘SPICE’ event, at ca. 499 Ma, documenting a well-defined −0.18‰ negative δ238U excursion that occurs at the onset of the SPICE event’s positive δ13C and δ34S excursions, but peaks (and tails off) before them. Dynamic modelling shows that the different response of the U reservoir cannot be attributed solely to differences in residence times or reservoir sizes - suggesting that two chemically distinct ocean states occurred within the SPICE event. The first ocean stage involved a global expansion of euxinic waters, triggering the spike in U burial, and peaking in conjunction with a well-known trilobite extinction event. During the second stage widespread euxinia waned, causing U removal to tail off, but enhanced organic carbon and pyrite burial continued, coinciding with evidence for severe sulfate depletion in the oceans (Gill et al., 2011). We discuss scenarios for how an interval of elevated pyrite and organic carbon burial could have been sustained without widespread euxinia in the water column (both non-sulfidic anoxia and/or a more oxygenated ocean state are possibilities). Either way, the SPICE event encompasses two different stages of elevated organic carbon and pyrite burial maintained by high nutrient fluxes to the ocean, and potentially

Cambrian to Devonian evolution of alluvial systems: The sedimentological impact of the earliest land plants

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Davies, Neil S.; Gibling, Martin R.

2010-02-01

In present-day alluvial environments, the impact of vegetation on sedimentological processes and deposits is well known. A vegetated catchment may decrease sediment yield, sediment erodibility, Hortonian overland flow, aeolian winnowing of fines, the proportion of sediment transported as bedload, and may increase bank stability, infiltration into substrates, and bed roughness. Vegetation also promotes the production of chemically-weathered clays and soils and the adoption of a meandering style. It is generally understood that, prior to the evolution of terrestrial vegetation during the Early Palaeozoic, ancient alluvial systems were markedly different from modern systems, with many systems adopting a "sheet-braided" style. This understanding has previously informed the interpretations of many Precambrian pre-vegetation alluvial successions, but there has been relatively little work regarding Early Palaeozoic alluvial successions laid down prior to and during the initial colonization of the Earth's surface by plants. A comprehensive review of 144 Cambrian to Devonian alluvial successions documented in published literature was combined with original field data from 34 alluvial successions across Europe and North America. The study was designed to identify changes in alluvial style during the period that vegetation was evolving and first colonizing alluvial environments. An increase in mudrock proportion and sandstone maturity is apparent, along with a decrease in overall sand grain size through the Early Palaeozoic. These trends suggest that primitive vegetation cover promoted the production and preservation of muds from the mid Ordovician onwards and increased the residence time of sand-grade sediment in alluvial systems. The compilation also enables the first stratigraphic occurrence of certain vegetation-dependent sedimentary features to be pinpointed and related to the evolution of specific palaeobotanical adaptations. The first markedly heterolithic alluvial

Open tubular lab-on-column/mass spectrometry for targeted proteomics of nanogram sample amounts.

PubMed

Hustoft, Hanne Kolsrud; Vehus, Tore; Brandtzaeg, Ole Kristian; Krauss, Stefan; Greibrokk, Tyge; Wilson, Steven Ray; Lundanes, Elsa

2014-01-01

A novel open tubular nanoproteomic platform featuring accelerated on-line protein digestion and high-resolution nano liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS) has been developed. The platform features very narrow open tubular columns, and is hence particularly suited for limited sample amounts. For enzymatic digestion of proteins, samples are passed through a 20 µm inner diameter (ID) trypsin + endoproteinase Lys-C immobilized open tubular enzyme reactor (OTER). Resulting peptides are subsequently trapped on a monolithic pre-column and transferred on-line to a 10 µm ID porous layer open tubular (PLOT) liquid chromatography LC separation column. Wnt/ß-catenein signaling pathway (Wnt-pathway) proteins of potentially diagnostic value were digested+detected in targeted-MS/MS mode in small cell samples and tumor tissues within 120 minutes. For example, a potential biomarker Axin1 was identifiable in just 10 ng of sample (protein extract of ∼1,000 HCT15 colon cancer cells). In comprehensive mode, the current OTER-PLOT set-up could be used to identify approximately 1500 proteins in HCT15 cells using a relatively short digestion+detection cycle (240 minutes), outperforming previously reported on-line digestion/separation systems. The platform is fully automated utilizing common commercial instrumentation and parts, while the reactor and columns are simple to produce and have low carry-over. These initial results point to automated solutions for fast and very sensitive MS based proteomics, especially for samples of limited size.

Ulinastatin inhibits renal tubular epithelial apoptosis and interstitial fibrosis in rats with unilateral ureteral obstruction.

PubMed

Zhang, Qing-Fang

2017-12-01

The effect of ulinastatin (UTI) on renal tubular epithelial apoptosis and interstitial fibrosis in rats with unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) was investigated. A total of 18 male Wistar rats were randomly divided into the following 3 groups: The Sham group (n=6), the UUO group (n=6), and the UTI group (n=6). In the UUO and UTI groups, the left ureter was ligated to establish a UUO model. Starting from day 1 after surgery, an intervention treatment was performed using normal saline (1 ml/kg/d) and UTI (40,000 unit/kg/d). On day 7 after surgery, 6 rats from each group were sacrificed. In the Sham group, the left ureter was only freed, not ligated; after 7 days of abdominal closure, all of the rats were sacrificed. Blood samples were collected prior to sacrificing the animals to measure the blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and serum creatinine (Scr). The incidence of renal interstitial lesions on the obstruction side was observed by hematoxylin and eosin, and Masson staining. Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) staining, and immunohistochemical detection of apoptosis regulator Bax (Bax), apoptosis regulator Bcl‑2 (Bcl‑2) and caspase‑3 were performed to observe the presence of renal tubular epithelial cell apoptosis. The UTI did not have a significant influence on the mouse BUN and Scr levels in any of the groups (P>0.05). Compared with that in the Sham group, renal tissue injury in the UUO group was significantly aggravated with renal tubular dilation, epithelial cell atrophy, renal interstitial inflammatory cell infiltration and fibrous tissue hyperplasia (P<0.01). Furthermore, the renal tubular epithelial TUNEL+ cell number and Bax and caspase‑3 levels were increased, and the expression of Bcl‑2 was decreased (P<0.01). Following the UTI treatment, the renal interstitial injury at the obstruction side was significantly attenuated (P<0.05), the renal tubular epithelial TUNEL+ cell number, and Bax and caspase‑3 levels

Precambrian-Cambrian provenance of Matinde Formation, Karoo Supergroup, northwestern Mozambique, constrained from detrital zircon U-Pb age and Lu-Hf isotope data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bicca, Marcos Müller; Jelinek, Andrea Ritter; Philipp, Ruy Paulo; de Carvalho Lana, Cristiano; Alkmim, Ana Ramalho

2018-02-01

The Permian-Triassic time interval was a period of high sedimentation rates in the intracontinental Karoo rift basin of northwestern Mozambique, reflecting high exhumation rates in the surrounding high ground Precambrian-Cambrian basement and juxtaposed nappes. U-Pb LA-MC-ICPMS dating and Lu-Hf isotopic analysis of detrital zircons from the Late Permian-Early Triassic Matinde Formation of the Karoo Supergroup is used as a reliable proxy to map denudation patterns of source regions. Data allow discrimination of U-Pb age populations of ca. 1250-900 Ma, a secondary population between ca. 900-700 and a major contribution of ages around ca. 700-490 Ma. Zircon grains of the Mesoproterozoic age population present Mesoproterozoic (1000-1500 Ma) to Paleoproterozoic (1800-2300 Ma) Hf TDM ages, with positive (0 to +11) and negative εHf values (-3 to -15), respectively. The younger U-Pb age population also presents two different groups of zircon grains according to Lu-Hf isotopes. The first group comprise Paleoproterozoic (1800-2300 Ma) ages, with highly negative εHf values, between -10 and -22, and the second group exhibits Mesoproterozoic ages (1200-1500 Ma), with increased juvenile εHf values (ca. 0 to -5). These Hf isotopes reinforce the presence of unexposed ancient crust in this region. The oldest U-Pb age population resembles the late stages of Grenville Orogeny and the Rodinia Supercontinent geotectonic activity mostly represented by magmatic rocks, which are widely present in the basement of northern Mozambique. The juvenile Hf-isotope signature with an older age component is associated to rocks generated from subduction processes with crust assimilation by continental arcs, which we correlate to rocks of the Nampula Complex, south and east of the Moatize-Minjova Basin. The U-Pb ages between 900 and 700 Ma were correlated to the calc-alkaline magmatism registered in the Guro Suite, related to the breakup phase of Rodinia, and mark the western limit of the Moatize

Early treatment with xenon protects against the cold ischemia associated with chronic allograft nephropathy in rats.

PubMed

Zhao, Hailin; Luo, Xianghong; Zhou, Zhaowei; Liu, Juying; Tralau-Stewart, Catherine; George, Andrew J T; Ma, Daqing

2014-01-01

Chronic allograft nephropathy (CAN) is a common finding in kidney grafts with functional impairment. Prolonged hypothermic storage-induced ischemia-reperfusion injury is associated with the early onset of CAN. As the noble gas xenon is clinically used as an anesthetic and has renoprotective properties in a rodent model of ischemia-reperfusion injury, we studied whether early treatment with xenon could attenuate CAN associated with prolonged hypothermic storage. Exposure to xenon enhanced the expression of insulin growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and its receptor in human proximal tubular (HK-2) cells, which, in turn, increased cell proliferation. Xenon treatment before or after hypothermia-hypoxia decreased cell apoptosis and cell inflammation after reoxygenation. The xenon-induced HK-2 cell proliferation was abolished by blocking the IGF-1 receptor, mTOR, and HIF-1α individually. In the Fischer-to-Lewis rat allogeneic renal transplantation model, xenon exposure of donors before graft retrieval or recipients after engraftment enhanced tubular cell proliferation and decreased tubular cell death and cell inflammation associated with ischemia-reperfusion injury. Compared with control allografts, xenon treatment significantly suppressed T-cell infiltration and fibrosis, prevented the development of CAN, and improved renal function. Thus, xenon treatment promoted recovery from ischemia-reperfusion injury and reduced susceptibility to the subsequent development of CAN in allografts.

Expression of a functional asialoglycoprotein receptor in human renal proximal tubular epithelial cells.

PubMed

Seow, Ying-ying T; Tan, Michelle G K; Woo, Keng Thye

2002-07-01

The asialoglycoprotein receptor (ASGPR) is a C lectin which binds and endocytoses serum glycoproteins. In humans, the ASGPR is shown mainly to occur in hepatocytes, but does occur extrahepatically in thyroid, in small and large intestines, and in the testis. In the kidney, there has been evidence both for and against its existence in mesangial cells. Standard light microscopy examination of renal tissue stained with an antibody against the ASGPR was performed. The mRNA expression for the ASGPR H1 and H2 subunits in primary human renal proximal tubular epithelial cells (RPTEC), in the human proximal tubular epithelial cell line HK2, and in human renal cortex was investigated using reverse-transcribed nested polymerase chain reaction. ASGPR protein expression as well as ligand binding and uptake were also examined using confocal microscopy and flow cytometry (fluorescence-activated cell sorting). Light microscopy of paraffin renal biopsy sections stained with a polyclonal antibody against the ASGPR showed proximal tubular epithelial cell staining of the cytoplasm and particularly in the basolateral region. Renal cortex and RPTEC specifically have mRNA for both H1 and H2 subunits of the ASGPR, but HK2 only expresses mRNA for H1. Using a monoclonal antibody, the presence of the ASGPR in RPTEC was shown by fluorescence-activated cell sorting and immunofluorescent staining. Specific binding and uptake of fluorescein isothiocyanate labelled asialofetuin which is a specific ASGPR ligand was also demonstrated in RPTEC. Primary renal proximal tubular epithelial cells have a functional ASGPR, consisting of the H1 and H2 subunits, that is capable of specific ligand binding and uptake. Copyright 2002 S. Karger AG, Basel

Kinetics of carbendazim degradation in a horizontal tubular biofilm reactor.

PubMed

Alvarado-Gutiérrez, María Luisa; Ruiz-Ordaz, Nora; Galíndez-Mayer, Juvencio; Santoyo-Tepole, Fortunata; Curiel-Quesada, Everardo; García-Mena, Jaime; Ahuatzi-Chacón, Deifilia

2017-04-01

The fungicide carbendazim is an ecotoxic agent affecting aquatic biota. Due to its suspected hormone-disrupting effects, it is considered a "priority hazard substance" by the Water Framework Directive of the European Commission, and its degradation is of major concern. In this work, a horizontal tubular biofilm reactor (HTBR) operating in plug-flow regime was used to study the kinetics of carbendazim removal by an acclimated microbial consortium. The reactor was operated in steady state continuous culture at eight different carbendazim loading rates. The concentrations of the fungicide were determined at several distances of the HTBR. At the loading rates tested, the highest instantaneous removal rates were observed in the first section of the tubular biofilm reactor. No evidence of inhibition of the catabolic activity of the microbial community was found. Strains of the genera Flectobacillus, Klebsiella, Stenotrophomonas, and Flavobacterium were identified in the biofilm; the last three degrade carbendazim in axenic culture.

In vivo guided vascular regeneration with a non-porous elastin-like polypeptide hydrogel tubular scaffold.

PubMed

Mahara, Atsushi; Kiick, Kristi L; Yamaoka, Tetsuji

2017-06-01

Herein, we demonstrate a new approach for small-caliber vascular reconstruction using a non-porous elastin-like polypeptide hydrogel tubular scaffold, based on the concept of guided vascular regeneration (GVR). The scaffolds are composed of elastin-like polypeptide, (Val-Pro-Gly-Ile-Gly) n , for compliance matching and antithrombogenicity and an Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) motif for connective tissue regeneration. When the polypeptide was mixed with an aqueous solution of β-[Tris(hydroxymethyl)phosphino]propionic acid at 37°C, the polypeptide hydrogel was rapidly formed. The elastic modulus of the hydrogel was 4.4 kPa. The hydrogel tubular scaffold was formed in a mold and reinforced with poly(lactic acid) nanofibers. When tubular scaffolds with an inner diameter of 1 mm and length of 5 mm were implanted into rat abdominal aortae, connective tissue grew along the scaffold luminal surface from the flanking native tissues, resulting in new blood vessel tissue with a thickness of 200 μm in 1 month. In contrast, rats implanted with control scaffolds without the RGD motif died. These results indicate that the non-porous hydrogel tubular scaffold containing the RGD motif effectively induced rapid tissue regeneration and that GVR is a promising strategy for the regeneration of small-diameter blood vessels. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 105A: 1746-1755, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Tubular Unimolecular Transmembrane Channels: Construction Strategy and Transport Activities.

PubMed

Si, Wen; Xin, Pengyang; Li, Zhan-Ting; Hou, Jun-Li

2015-06-16

Lipid bilayer membranes separate living cells from their environment. Membrane proteins are responsible for the processing of ion and molecular inputs and exports, sensing stimuli and signals across the bilayers, which may operate in a channel or carrier mechanism. Inspired by these wide-ranging functions of membrane proteins, chemists have made great efforts in constructing synthetic mimics in order to understand the transport mechanisms, create materials for separation, and develop therapeutic agents. Since the report of an alkylated cyclodextrin for transporting Cu(2+) and Co(2+) by Tabushi and co-workers in 1982, chemists have constructed a variety of artificial transmembrane channels by making use of either the multimolecular self-assembly or unimolecular strategy. In the context of the design of unimolecular channels, important advances have been made, including, among others, the tethering of natural gramicidin A or alamethicin and the modification of various macrocycles such as crown ethers, cyclodextrins, calixarenes, and cucurbiturils. Many of these unimolecular channels exhibit high transport ability for metal ions, particularly K(+) and Na(+). Concerning the development of artificial channels based on macrocyclic frameworks, one straightforward and efficient approach is to introduce discrete chains to reinforce their capability to insert into bilayers. Currently, this approach has found the widest applications in the systems of crown ethers and calixarenes. We envisioned that for macrocycle-based unimolecular channels, control of the arrangement of the appended chains in the upward and/or downward direction would favor the insertion of the molecular systems into bilayers, while the introduction of additional interactions among the chains would further stabilize a tubular conformation. Both factors should be helpful for the formation of new efficient channels. In this Account, we discuss our efforts in designing new unimolecular artificial channels from

Tissue-Engineered Fibrin-Based Heart Valve with a Tubular Leaflet Design

PubMed Central

Weber, Miriam; Heta, Eriona; Moreira, Ricardo; Gesche, Valentine N.; Schermer, Thomas; Frese, Julia

2014-01-01

The general approach in heart valve tissue engineering is to mimic the shape of the native valve in the attempt to recreate the natural haemodynamics. In this article, we report the fabrication of the first tissue-engineered heart valve (TEHV) based on a tubular leaflet design, where the function of the leaflets of semilunar heart valves is performed by a simple tubular construct sutured along a circumferential line at the root and at three single points at the sinotubular junction. The tubular design is a recent development in pericardial (nonviable) bioprostheses, which has attracted interest because of the simplicity of the construction and the reliability of the implantation technique. Here we push the potential of the concept further from the fabrication and material point of view to realize the tube-in-tube valve: an autologous, living HV with remodelling and growing capability, physiological haemocompatibility, simple to construct and fast to implant. We developed two different fabrication/conditioning procedures and produced fibrin-based constructs embedding cells from the ovine umbilical cord artery according to the two different approaches. Tissue formation was confirmed by histology and immunohistology. The design of the tube-in-tube foresees the possibility of using a textile coscaffold (here demonstrated with a warp-knitted mesh) to achieve enhanced mechanical properties in vision of implantation in the aortic position. The tube-in-tube represents an attractive alternative to the conventional design of TEHVs aiming at reproducing the valvular geometry. PMID:23829551

BK Polyomavirus Replication in Renal Tubular Epithelial Cells Is Inhibited by Sirolimus, but Activated by Tacrolimus Through a Pathway Involving FKBP-12.

PubMed

Hirsch, H H; Yakhontova, K; Lu, M; Manzetti, J

2016-03-01

BK polyomavirus (BKPyV) replication causes nephropathy and premature kidney transplant failure. Insufficient BKPyV-specific T cell control is regarded as a key mechanism, but direct effects of immunosuppressive drugs on BKPyV replication might play an additional role. We compared the effects of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR)- and calcineurin-inhibitors on BKPyV replication in primary human renal tubular epithelial cells. Sirolimus impaired BKPyV replication with a 90% inhibitory concentration of 4 ng/mL by interfering with mTOR-SP6-kinase activation. Sirolimus inhibition was rapid and effective up to 24 h postinfection during viral early gene expression, but not thereafter, during viral late gene expression. The mTORC-1 kinase inhibitor torin-1 showed a similar inhibition profile, supporting the notion that early steps of BKPyV replication depend on mTOR activity. Cyclosporine A also inhibited BKPyV replication, while tacrolimus activated BKPyV replication and reversed sirolimus inhibition. FK binding protein 12kda (FKBP-12) siRNA knockdown abrogated sirolimus inhibition and increased BKPyV replication similar to adding tacrolimus. Thus, sirolimus and tacrolimus exert opposite effects on BKPyV replication in renal tubular epithelial cells by a mechanism involving FKBP-12 as common target. Immunosuppressive drugs may therefore contribute directly to the risk of BKPyV replication and nephropathy besides suppressing T cell functions. The data provide rationales for clinical trials aiming at reducing the risk of BKPyV replication and disease in kidney transplantation. © Copyright 2015 The American Society of Transplantation and the American Society of Transplant Surgeons.

Tauroursodeoxycholic Acid Attenuates Renal Tubular Injury in a Mouse Model of Type 2 Diabetes

PubMed Central

Zhang, Jing; Fan, Ying; Zeng, Chuchu; He, Li; Wang, Niansong

2016-01-01

Renal tubular injury is a critical factor in the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy (DN). Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress is involved in diabetic nephropathy. Tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA) is an effective inhibitor of ER stress. Here, we investigated the role of TUDCA in the progression of tubular injury in DN. For eight weeks, being treated with TUDCA at 250 mg/kg intraperitoneal injection (i.p.) twice a day, diabetic db/db mice had significantly reduced blood glucose, albuminuria and attenuated renal histopathology. These changes were associated with a significant decreased expression of ER stress markers. At the same time, diabetic db/db mice had more TUNEL-positive nuclei in the renal tubule, which were attenuated by TUDCA treatment, along with decreases in ER stress–associated apoptotic markers in the kidneys. In summary, the effect of TUDCA on tubular injury, in part, is associated with inhibition of ER stress in the kidneys of diabetic db/db mice. TUDCA shows potential as a therapeutic target for the prevention and treatment of DN. PMID:27669287

Tubular fluoropolymer arrays with high piezoelectric response

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhukov, Sergey; Eder-Goy, Dagmar; Biethan, Corinna; Fedosov, Sergey; Xu, Bai-Xiang; von Seggern, Heinz

2018-01-01

Polymers with electrically charged internal air cavities called ferroelectrets exhibit a pronounced piezoelectric effect and are regarded as soft functional materials suitable for sensor and actuator applications. In this work, a simple method for fabricating piezoelectret arrays with open-tubular channels is introduced. A set of individual fluoroethylenepropylene (FEP) tubes is compressed between two heated metal plates. The squeezed FEP tubes are melted together at +270 °C. The resulting structure is a uniform, multi-tubular, flat array that reveals a strong piezoelectric response after a poling step. The fabricated arrays have a high ratio between piezoelectrically active and non-active areas. The optimal charging voltage and stability of the piezoelectric coefficients with pressures and frequency were experimentally investigated for two specific array structures with wall thickness of 50 and 120 μm. The array fabricated from 50 μm thick FEP tubes reveals a stable and high piezoelectric coefficient of {d}33 = 120-160 pC N-1 with a flat frequency response between 0.1 Hz and 10 kHz for pressures between 1 and 100 kPa. An increase of wall thickness to 120 μm is accompanied by a more than twofold decrease in the piezoelectric coefficient as a result of a simultaneously higher effective array stiffness and lower remanent polarization. The obtained experimental results can be used to optimize the array design with regard to the electromechanical performance.

Column compression strength of tubular packaging forms made from paper

Treesearch

Thomas J. Urbanik; Sung K. Lee; Charles G. Johnson

2006-01-01

Tubular packaging forms fabricated and shaped from rolled paper are used as reinforcing corner posts for major appliances packaged in corrugated containers. Tests of column compression strength simulate the expected performance loads from appliances stacked in warehouses. Column strength depends on tube geometry, paper properties, basis weight, and number of...

Autophagy activation promotes removal of damaged mitochondria and protects against renal tubular injury induced by albumin overload.

PubMed

Tan, Jin; Wang, Miaohong; Song, Shuling; Miao, Yuyang; Zhang, Qiang

2018-01-10

Proteinuria (albuminuria) is an important cause of aggravating tubulointerstitial injury. Previous studies have shown that autophagy activation can alleviate renal tubular epithelial cell injury caused by urinary protein, but the mechanism is not clear. Here, we investigated the role of clearance of damaged mitochondria in this protective effect. We found that albumin overload induces a significant increase in turnover of LC3-II and decrease in p62 protein level in renal proximal tubular (HK-2) cells in vitro. Albumin overload also induces an increase in mitochondrial damage. ALC, a mitochondrial torpent, alleviates mitochondrial damage induced by albumin overload and also decreases autophagy, while mitochondrial damage revulsant CCCP further increases autophagy. Furthermore, pretreatment of HK-2 cells with rapamycin reduced the amount of damaged mitochondria and the level of apoptosis induced by albumin overload. In contrast, blocking autophagy with chloroquine exerted an opposite effect. Taken together, our results indicated autophagy activation promotes removal of damaged mitochondria and protects against renal tubular injury caused by albumin overload. This further confirms previous research that autophagy activation is an adaptive response in renal tubular epithelial cells after urinary protein overload.

Fabrication and characterization of an all-diamond tubular flow microelectrode for electroanalysis.

PubMed

Hutton, Laura A; Vidotti, Marcio; Iacobini, James G; Kelly, Chris; Newton, Mark E; Unwin, Patrick R; Macpherson, Julie V

2011-07-15

The development of the first all-diamond hydrodynamic flow device for electroanalytical applications is described. Here alternate layers of intrinsic (insulating), conducting (heavily boron doped), and intrinsic polycrystalline diamond are grown to create a sandwich structure. By laser cutting a hole through the material, it is possible to produce a tubular flow ring electrode of a characteristic length defined by the thickness of the conducting layer (for these studies ∼90 μm). The inside of the tube can be polished to 17 ± 10 nm surface roughness using a diamond impregnanted wire resulting in a coplanar, smooth, all-diamond surface. The steady-state limiting current versus volume flow rate characteristics for the one electron oxidation of FcTMA(+) are in agreement with those expected for laminar flow in a tubular electrode geometry. For dopamine detection, it is shown that the combination of the reduced fouling properties of boron doped diamond, coupled with the flow geometry design where the products of electrolysis are washed away downstream of the electrode, completely eradicates fouling during electrolysis. This paves the way for incorporation of this flow design into online electroanalytical detection systems. Finally, the all diamond tubular flow electrode system described here provides a platform for future developments including the development of ultrathin ring electrodes, multiple apertures for increased current response, and multiple, individually addressable ring electrodes incorporated into the same flow tube.

Earliest Phanerozoic or latest Proterozoic fossils from the Arabian Shield

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cloud, P.; Awramik, S.M.; Morrison, K.; Hadley, D.G.

1979-01-01

We report here the first biologically definable fossils from pre-Saq (pre-Middle Cambrian) rocks of the Arabian Shield. They include the distinctive helically coiled tubular filaments of the oscillatorialean blue-green alga Obruchevella parva as well as two size classes of spheroidal unicells of uncertain affinity. Also present is the conical stromatolite Conophyton and unidentified stromatolites. All occur in cherty limestones of the Jubaylah Group, northern Saudi Arabia, a nonmarine to locally marine taphrogeosynclinal sequence that fills depressions along the northwest-trending Najd faults. Conophyton has heretofore been found only in strata older than about 680 Ma (except for puzzling records in modern hot springs) while Obruchevella is so far known only from rocks between about 680 and 470 Ma old. Thus it appears that the Jubaylah Group is close to the Proterozoic-Phanerozoic transition. The simple spheroidal nanno-fossils are not diagnostic as to age. Their relationships within what appears to be early diagenetic chert suggest a classical algal-mat association. The brecciated and microchanneled appearance of much of the fossiliferous rock, its locally dolomitic nature, and the prevalence of cryptalgalaminate favors a very shallow, locally turbulent, and perhaps episodically exposed marine or marginal marine setting. The Jubaylah Group lies unconformably beneath the Siq Sandstone (basal member of the Saq Sandstone) of medial Cambrian age, rests nonconformably on crystalline basement, and has yielded a K-Ar whole-rock age (on andesitic basalt) of ???540 Ma. To judge from the fossils, however, that age may be as much as 100 Ma or more too young. ?? 1979.

First macrobiota biomineralization was environmentally triggered

PubMed Central

Ivantsov, Andrey Yu

2017-01-01

Why large and diverse skeletons first appeared ca 550 Ma is not well understood. Many Ediacaran skeletal biota show evidence of flexibility, and bear notably thin skeletal walls with simple, non-hierarchical microstructures of either aragonite or high-Mg calcite. We present evidence that the earliest skeletal macrobiota, found only in carbonate rocks, had close soft-bodied counterparts hosted in contemporary clastic rocks. This includes the calcareous discoidal fossil Suvorovella, similar to holdfasts of Ediacaran biota taxa previously known only as casts and moulds, as well as tubular and vase-shaped fossils. In sum, these probably represent taxa of diverse affinity including unicellular eukaryotes, total group cnidarians and problematica. Our findings support the assertion that the calcification was an independent and derived feature that appeared in diverse groups where an organic scaffold was the primitive character, which provided the framework for interactions between the extracellular matrix and mineral ions. We conclude that such skeletons may have been acquired with relative ease in the highly saturated, high alkalinity carbonate settings of the Ediacaran, where carbonate polymorph was further controlled by seawater chemistry. The trigger for Ediacaran biomineralization may have been either changing seawater Mg/Ca and/or increasing oxygen levels. By the Early Cambrian, however, biomineralization styles and the range of biominerals had significantly diversified, perhaps as an escalating defensive response to increasing predation pressure. Indeed skeletal hardparts had appeared in clastic settings by Cambrian Stage 1, suggesting independence from ambient seawater chemistry where genetic and molecular mechanisms controlled biomineralization and mineralogy had become evolutionarily constrained. PMID:28356454

A stem-group cnidarian described from the mid-Cambrian of China and its significance for cnidarian evolution.

PubMed

Park, Tae-yoon; Woo, Jusun; Lee, Dong-Jin; Lee, Dong-Chan; Lee, Seung-bae; Han, Zuozhen; Chough, Sung Kwun; Choi, Duck K

2011-08-23

Palaeontological data of extinct groups often sheds light on the evolutionary sequences leading to extant groups, but has failed to resolve the basal metazoan phylogeny including the origin of the Cnidaria. Here we report the occurrence of a stem-group cnidarian, Cambroctoconus orientalis gen. et sp. nov., from the mid-Cambrian of China, which is a colonial organism with calcareous octagonal conical cup-shaped skeletons. It bears cnidarian features including longitudinal septa arranged in octoradial symmetry and colonial occurrence, but lacks a jelly-like mesenchyme. Such morphological characteristics suggest that the colonial occurrence with polyps of octoradial symmetry is the plesiomorphic condition of the Cnidaria and appeared earlier than the jelly-like mesenchyme during the course of evolution. © 2011 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved.

A stem-group cnidarian described from the mid-Cambrian of China and its significance for cnidarian evolution

PubMed Central

Park, Tae-yoon; Woo, Jusun; Lee, Dong-Jin; Lee, Dong-Chan; Lee, Seung-bae; Han, Zuozhen; Chough, Sung Kwun; Choi, Duck K.

2011-01-01

Palaeontological data of extinct groups often sheds light on the evolutionary sequences leading to extant groups, but has failed to resolve the basal metazoan phylogeny including the origin of the Cnidaria. Here we report the occurrence of a stem-group cnidarian, Cambroctoconus orientalis gen. et sp. nov., from the mid-Cambrian of China, which is a colonial organism with calcareous octagonal conical cup-shaped skeletons. It bears cnidarian features including longitudinal septa arranged in octoradial symmetry and colonial occurrence, but lacks a jelly-like mesenchyme. Such morphological characteristics suggest that the colonial occurrence with polyps of octoradial symmetry is the plesiomorphic condition of the Cnidaria and appeared earlier than the jelly-like mesenchyme during the course of evolution. PMID:21863009

Numerical investigation of cavitation performance on bulb tubular turbine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, L. G.; Guo, P. C.; Zheng, X. B.; Luo, X. Q.

2016-05-01

The cavitation flow phenomena may occur in the bulb tubular turbine at some certain operation conditions, which even decrease the performance of units and causes insatiably noise and vibration when it goes worse. A steady cavitating flow numerical simulations study is carried out on the bulb tubular unit with the same blade pitch angle and different guide vane openings by using the commercial code ANSYS CFX in this paper. The phenomena of cavitation induction areas and development process are obtained and draws cavitation performance curves. The numerical results show that the travelling bubble cavity is the main types of cavitation development over a wide operating range of discharge and this type of cavitation begins to sensitive to the value of cavitation number when the discharge exceeding a certain valve, in this condition, it can lead to a severe free bubble formation with the gradually decrement of cavitation number. The reported cavitation performance curves results indicate that the flow blockage incident would happen because of a mount of free bubble formation in the flow passage when the cavity developed to certain extend, which caused head drop behavior and power broken dramatically and influenced the output power.

Cambrian-Ordovician Knox production in Ohio: Three case studies of structural-stratigraphic traps

USGS Publications Warehouse

Riley, R.A.; Wicks, J.; Thomas, Joan

2002-01-01

The Knox Dolomite (Cambrian-Ordovician) in Ohio consists of a mixed carbonate-siliciclastic sequence deposited in a tidal-flat to shallow-marine environment along a broad continental shelf. Knox hydrocarbon production occurs in porous sandstone and dolomite reservoirs in the Copper Ridge dolomite, Rose Run sandstone, and Beekmantown dolomite. In Ohio, historical Knox exploration and development have been focused on paleogeomorphic traps within the prolific Morrow Consolidated field, and more recently, within and adjacent to the Rose Run subcrop. Although these paleogeomorphic traps have yielded significant Knox production, structural and stratigraphic traps are being largely ignored. Three Knox-producing pools demonstrate structural and stratigraphic traps: the Birmingham-Erie pool in southern Erie and southwestern Lorain counties, the South Canaan pool in northern Wayne County, and the East Randolph pool in south-central Portage County. Enhanced porosity and permeability from fractures, as evident in the East Randolph pool, are also an underexplored mechanism for Knox hydrocarbon accumulation. An estimated 800 bcf of gas from undiscovered Knox resources makes the Knox one of the most attractive plays in the Appalachian basin.

Mars Life? - Microscopic Tubular Structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1996-01-01

This electron microscope image shows extremely tiny tubular structures that are possible microscopic fossils of bacteria-like organisms that may have lived on Mars more than 3.6 billion years ago. A two-year investigation by a NASA research team found organic molecules, mineral features characteristic of biological activity and possible microscopic fossils such as these inside of an ancient Martian rock that fell to Earth as a meteorite. The largest possible fossils are less than 1/100th the diameter of a human hair in size while most are ten times smaller. The fossil-like structures were found in carbonate minerals formed along pre-existing fractures in the meteorite in a fashion similar to the way fossils occur in limestone on Earth, although on a microscopic scale.

Limits on estimating the width of thin tubular structures in 3D images.

PubMed

Wörz, Stefan; Rohr, Karl

2006-01-01

This work studies limits on estimating the width of thin tubular structures in 3D images. Based on nonlinear estimation theory we analyze the minimal stochastic error of estimating the width. Given a 3D analytic model of the image intensities of tubular structures, we derive a closed-form expression for the Cramér-Rao bound of the width estimate under image noise. We use the derived lower bound as a benchmark and compare it with three previously proposed accuracy limits for vessel width estimation. Moreover, by experimental investigations we demonstrate that the derived lower bound can be achieved by fitting a 3D parametric intensity model directly to the image data.

Optimal startup control of a jacketed tubular reactor.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hahn, D. R.; Fan, L. T.; Hwang, C. L.

1971-01-01

The optimal startup policy of a jacketed tubular reactor, in which a first-order, reversible, exothermic reaction takes place, is presented. A distributed maximum principle is presented for determining weak necessary conditions for optimality of a diffusional distributed parameter system. A numerical technique is developed for practical implementation of the distributed maximum principle. This involves the sequential solution of the state and adjoint equations, in conjunction with a functional gradient technique for iteratively improving the control function.

Oscillations of manometric tubular springs with rigid end

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cherentsov, D. A.; Pirogov, S. P.; Dorofeev, S. M.; Ryabova, Y. S.

2018-05-01

The paper presents a mathematical model of attenuating oscillations of manometric tubular springs (MTS) taking into account the rigid tip. The dynamic MTS model is presented in the form of a thin-walled curved rod oscillating in the plane of curvature of the central axis. Equations for MTS oscillations are obtained in accordance with the d’Alembert principle in projections onto the normal and tangential. The Bubnov-Galerkin method is used to solve the equations obtained.

The early modern kidney--nephrology in and about the nineteenth century. Part 1.

PubMed

Eknoyan, Garabed

2013-01-01

The 19th century was a period of momentous scientific discoveries, technological achievements, and societal changes. A beneficiary of these revolutionary upheavals was medical empiricism that supplanted the rationalism of the past giving rise to early modern scientific medicine. Continued reliance on sensory data now magnified by technical advances generated new medical information that could be quantified with increasing precision, verified by repeated experimentation, and validated by statistical analysis. The institutionalization and integration of these methodologies into medical education were a defining step that assured their progress and perpetuation. Major advances were made in the nosography of diseases of the kidney, notably that of the diagnosis of progressive kidney disease from the presence of albuminuria by Richard Bright (1789-1858); and of renal structure and function, notably the demonstration of the continuity of the glomerular capsule with the tubular basement membrane by William Bowman (1816-1892), and the arguments for hemodynamic physical forces mediated glomerular filtration by Carl Ludwig (1816-1895) and for active tubular transport by Rudolf Heidenhain (1834-1897). Improvements in microscopy and tissue processing were instrumental in describing the cellular ultrastructure of the glomerulus and tubular segments, but their integrated function remained to be elucidated. The kidney continued to be considered a tubular secretory organ and its pathology attributed to injury of the interstitium (interstitial nephritis) or tubules (parenchymatous nephritis). © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Oxygen and Early Animal Evolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiao, S.

2012-12-01

It is often hypothesized that the rise of animals was triggered by an increase in O2 levels in the atmosphere and oceans. However, this hypothesis is remarkably difficult to test, because the timing of animal divergences is poorly resolved, the physiology of early animals is often unknown, estimates of past pO2 levels come with large error bars, and causal relationships between oxygenation and animal evolution are difficult to establish. Nonetheless, existing phylogenetic, paleontological, and geochemical data indicate that the evolution of macroscopic animals and motile macrometazoans with energetically expensive lifestyles may be temporally coupled with ocean oxygenation events in the Ediacaran Period. Thus, it is plausible that ocean oxygenation may have been a limiting factor in the early evolution of macroscopic, complex, and metabolically aggressive animals (particularly bilaterian animals). However, ocean oxygenation and animal evolution were likely engaged in two-way interactions: Ediacaran oxygenation may have initially lifted a physiological barrier for the evolution of animal size, motility, and active lifestyles, but subsequent animal diversification in the Paleozoic may have also changed oceanic redox structures. Viewed in a broader context, the early evolutionary history of animals was contingent upon a series of events, including genetic preparation (developmental genetics), environmental facilitation (oceanic oxygenation), and ecological escalation (Cambrian explosion), but the rise of animals to ecological importance also had important geobiological impacts on oceanic redox structures, sedimentary fabrics, and global geochemical cycles.

Buckling behavior of Rene 41 tubular panels for a hypersonic aircraft wing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ko, W. L.; Fields, R. A.; Shideler, J. L.

1986-01-01

The buckling characteristics of Rene 41 tubular panels for a hypersonic aircraft wing were investigated. The panels were repeatedly tested for buckling characteristics using a hypersonic wing test structure and a universal tension/compression testing machine. The nondestructive buckling tests were carried out under different combined load conditions and in different temperature environments. The force/stiffness technique was used to determine the buckling loads of the panels. In spite of some data scattering resulting from large extrapolations of the data-fitting curve (because of the termination of applied loads at relatively low percentages of the buckling loads), the overall test data correlate fairly well with theoretically predicted buckling interaction curves. Also, the structural efficiency of the tubular panels was found to be slightly higher than that of beaded panels.

Buckling behavior of Rene 41 tubular panels for a hypersonic aircraft wing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ko, W. L.; Shideler, J. L.; Fields, R. A.

1986-01-01

The buckling characteristics of Rene 41 tubular panels for a hypersonic aircraft wing were investigated. The panels were repeatedly tested for buckling characteristics using a hypersonic wing test structure and a universal tension/compression testing machine. The nondestructive buckling tests were carried out under different combined load conditions and in different temperature environments. The force/stiffness technique was used to determine the buckling loads of the panel. In spite of some data scattering, resulting from large extrapolations of the data fitting curve (because of the termination of applied loads at relatively low percentages of the buckling loads), the overall test data correlate fairly well with theoretically predicted buckling interaction curves. Also, the structural efficiency of the tubular panels was found to be slightly higher than that of beaded panels.

Large axial actuation of pre-stretched tubular dielectric elastomer and use of oil encapsulation to enhance dielectric breakdown strength

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lau, Gih-Keong; Di-Teng Tan, Desmond; La, Thanh-Giang

2015-04-01

Rolled dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs) are subjected to necking and non-uniform deformation upon pre-stress relaxation. Though rolled up from flat DEAs, they performed much poorer than the flat ones. Their electrically induced axial strains were previously reported as not more than 37.3%, while the flat ones produced greater than 100% strain. Often, the rolled DEAs succumb to premature breakdown before they can realize the full actuation potential like the flat ones do. This study shows that oil encapsulation, together with large hoop pre-stretch, helps single-wound rolled DEAs, which are also known as tubular DEAs, suppress premature breakdown. Consequently, the oil-encapsulated tubular DEAs can sustain higher electric fields, and thus produce larger isotonic strain and higher isometric stress change. Under isotonic testing, they sustained very high electric fields of up to 712.7 MV m-1, which is approximately 50% higher than those of the dry tubular DEAs. They produced up to 55.4% axial isotonic strain despite axially stiffening by the passive oil capsules. In addition, due to the use of large hoop pre-stretch, even the dry tubular DEAs without oil encapsulation achieved a very large axial strain of up to 84.2% compared to previous works. Under isometric testing, the oil-encapsulated tubular DEA with enhanced breakdown strength produced an axial stress change of up to nearly 0.6 MPa, which is 114% higher than that produced by the dry ones. In conclusion, the oil encapsulation and large pre-stretch help realize fuller actuation potential of tubular dielectric elastomer, which is subjected to initially non-uniform deformation.

Treatment of wastewater containing phenol using a tubular ceramic membrane bioreactor.

PubMed

Ersu, C B; Ong, S K

2008-02-01

The performance of a membrane bioreactor (MBR) with a tubular ceramic membrane for phenol removal was evaluated under varying hydraulic retention times (HRT) and a fixed sludge residence time (SRT) of 30 days. The tubular ceramic membrane was operated with a mode of 15 minutes of filtration followed by 15 seconds of permeate backwashing at a flux of 250 l m(-2)hr(-1) along with an extended backwashing of 30 seconds every 3 hours of operation, which maintained the transmembrane pressure (TMP) below 100 kPa. Using a simulated municipal wastewater with varying phenol concentrations, the chemical oxygen demand (COD) and phenol removals observed were greater than 88% with excellent suspended solids (SS) removal of 100% at low phenol concentrations (approx. 100 mg l(-1) of phenol). Step increases in phenol concentration showed that inhibition was observed between 600 to 800 mg l(-1) of phenol with decreased sludge production rate, mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS) concentration, and removal performance. The sludge volume index (SVI) of the biomass increased to about 450 ml g(-1) for a phenol input concentration of 800 mg l(-1). When the phenol concentration was decreased to 100 mg l(-1), the ceramic tubular MBR was found to recover rapidly indicating that the MBR is a robust system retaining most of the biomass. Experimental runs using wastewater containing phenol indicated that the MBR can be operated safely without upsets for concentrations up to 600 mg l(-1) of phenol at 2-4 hours HRT and 30 days SRT.

Effect of initiator concentration to low-density polyethylene production in a tubular reactor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Azmi, A.; Aziz, N.

2016-11-01

Low-density polyethylene (LDPE) is one of the most widely used polymers in the world, which is produced in high-capacity tubular and autoclave reactors. As the LDPE industry turn into more competitive and its market profit margins become tighter, manufacturers have to develop solutions to debottleneck the reactor output while abiding to the stringent product specification. A single polyolefin plant producing ten to forty grades of LDPE with various melt flow index (MFI), therefore understanding the reaction mechanism, the operating conditions as well as the dynamic behavior of tubular reactor is essential before any improvement can take place. In the present work, a steady state mathematical model representing a tubular reactor for the production of LDPE is simulated using MATLAB R2015a®. The model developed is a function of feed inlet, reactor jacket, single initiator injector and outlet stream. Analysis on the effect of initiator concentration (CI) shows sudden declining trend of initiator's concentration which indicates that all of the initiators are exhausted after polymerization reaction and no further reaction occur from this point onwards. Furthermore, the results demonstrate that the concentration of initiator gives significant impact on reactor temperature's profile and monomer conversion rate, since higher initiator concentration promotes greater polymerization rate, and therefore leads to higher monomer conversion throughput.

Autophagy inhibition attenuates hyperoxaluria-induced renal tubular oxidative injury and calcium oxalate crystal depositions in the rat kidney.

PubMed

Duan, Xiaolu; Kong, Zhenzhen; Mai, Xin; Lan, Yu; Liu, Yang; Yang, Zhou; Zhao, Zhijian; Deng, Tuo; Zeng, Tao; Cai, Chao; Li, Shujue; Zhong, Wen; Wu, Wenqi; Zeng, Guohua

2018-06-01

Hyperoxaluria-induced oxidative injury of renal tubular epithelial cell is a casual and essential factor in kidney calcium oxalate (CaOx) stone formation. Autophagy has been shown to be critical for the regulation of oxidative stress-induced renal tubular injury; however, little is known about its role in kidney CaOx stone formation. In the present study, we found that the autophagy antagonist chloroquine could significantly attenuate oxalate-induced autophagy activation, oxidative injury and mitochondrial damage of renal tubular cells in vitro and in vivo, as well as hyperoxaluria-induced CaOx crystals depositions in rat kidney, whereas the autophagy agonist rapamycin exerted contrasting effects. In addition, oxalate-induced p38 phosphorylation was significantly attenuated by chloroquine pretreatment but was markedly enhanced by rapamycin pretreatment, whereas the protective effect of chloroquine on rat renal tubular cell oxidative injury was partly reversed by a p38 protein kinase activator anisomycin. Furthermore, the knockdown of Beclin1 represented similar effects to chloroquine on oxalate-induced cell oxidative injury and p38 phosphorylation in vitro. Taken together, our results revealed that autophagy inhibition could attenuate oxalate-induced oxidative injury of renal tubular cell and CaOx crystal depositions in the rat kidney via, at least in part, inhibiting the activation of p38 signaling pathway, thus representing a novel role of autophagy in the regulation of oxalate-induced renal oxidative injury and CaOx crystal depositions for the first time. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Proposed stratotype for the base of the highest Cambrian stage at the first appearance datum of Cordylodus andresi, Lawson Cove section, Utah, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Miller, J.F.; Ethington, Raymond L.; Evans, K.R.; Holmer, L.E.; Loch, James D.; Popov, L.E.; Repetski, J.E.; Ripperdan, R.L.; Taylor, John F.

2006-01-01

We propose a candidate for the Global Standard Stratotype-section and Point (GSSP) for the base of the highest stage of the Furongian Series of the Cambrian System. The section is at Lawson Cove in the Ibex area of Millard County, Utah, USA. The marker horizon is the first appearance datum (FAD) of the conodont Cordylodus andresi Viira et Sergeyeva in Kaljo et al. [Kaljo, D., Borovko, N., Heinsalu, H., Khazanovich, K., Mens, K., Popov, L., Sergeyeva, S., Sobolevskaya, R., Viira, V., 1986. The Cambrian-Ordovician boundary in the Baltic-Ladoga clint area (North Estonia and Leningrad Region, USSR). Eesti NSV Teaduste Akadeemia Toimetised. Geologia 35, 97-108]. At this section and elsewhere this horizon also is the FAD of the trilobite Eurekia apopsis (Winston et Nicholls, 1967). This conodont characterizes the base of the Cordylodus proavus Zone, which has been recognized in many parts of the world. This trilobite characterizes the base of the Eurekia apopsis Zone, which has been recognized in many parts of North America. The proposed boundary is 46.7 m above the base of the Lava Dam Member of the Notch Peak Formation at the Lawson Cove section. Brachiopods, sequence stratigraphy, and carbon-isotope geochemistry are other tools that characterize this horizon and allow it to be recognized in other areas. ?? 2006 Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, CAS.

Stressed waveguides with tubular depressed-cladding inscribed in phosphate glasses by femtosecond hollow laser beams.

PubMed

Long, Xuewen; Bai, Jing; Zhao, Wei; Stoian, Razvan; Hui, Rongqing; Cheng, Guanghua

2012-08-01

We report on the single-step fabrication of stressed optical waveguides with tubular depressed-refractive-index cladding in phosphate glasses by the use of focused femtosecond hollow laser beams. Tubelike low index regions appear under direct exposure due to material rarefaction following expansion. Strained compacted zones emerged in domains neighboring the tubular track of lower refractive index, and waveguiding occurs mainly within the tube core fabricated by the engineered femtosecond laser beam. The refractive index profile of the optical waveguide was reconstructed from the measured transmitted near-field intensity.

Renal tubular disease in the era of combination antiretroviral therapy.

PubMed

Hamzah, Lisa; Booth, John W; Jose, Sophie; McAdoo, Stephen P; Kumar, Emil A; O'Donnell, Patrick; Hilton, Rachel; Sabin, Caroline; Williams, Deborah I; Jones, Rachael; Post, Frank A

2015-09-10

To describe the spectrum of renal tubular disease (RTD) in HIV-positive patients and its association with exposure to antiretroviral therapy (ART). Review of 265 consecutive renal biopsies from HIV-positive patients attending eight clinics in the United Kingdom between 2000 and 2012. We described the clinical characteristics of patients with RTD and compared current/recent exposure (at the time of, or up to 3 months prior to the date of biopsy) to potentially nephrotoxic ART [tenofovir (TDF), atazanavir (ATV), indinavir (IDV) and lopinavir/ritonavir (LPV/r)]. We also analysed the incidence of RTD in the UK CHIC cohort. Kruskall-Wallis, analysis of variance and Fisher's exact tests were used to evaluate between-group differences. Of the 60 RTD cases, 54 (90%) were included in the analyses. RTD comprised of three distinct patterns: acute tubular injury (ATI, n = 22), tubulo-interstitial nephritis (TIN, n = 20) and interstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy (IFTA, n = 12). Compared with TIN and IFTA, ATI cases were less likely to be of black ethnicity (10 vs. 42-55%; P = 0.006), more likely to be on ART (100 vs. 55-68%; P = 0.001), with HIV-RNA below 200 copies/ml (100 vs. 54-58%; P < 0.001), and more likely to have current/recent exposure to TDF (P < 0.001). We did not find evidence for an association between exposure to TDF, ATV/r or LPV/r and either TIN or IFTA. RTD was present in approximately 20% of renal biopsies and comprised three distinct injury patterns with considerable clinical overlap. ATI was associated with TDF exposure, although the overall incidence of biopsy-defined ATI was low.

High temperature helical tubular receiver for concentrating solar power system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hossain, Nazmul

In the field of conventional cleaner power generation technology, concentrating solar power systems have introduced remarkable opportunity. In a solar power tower, solar energy concentrated by the heliostats at a single point produces very high temperature. Falling solid particles or heat transfer fluid passing through that high temperature region absorbs heat to generate electricity. Increasing the residence time will result in more heat gain and increase efficiency. A novel design of solar receiver for both fluid and solid particle is approached in this paper which can increase residence time resulting in higher temperature gain in one cycle compared to conventional receivers. The helical tubular solar receiver placed at the focused sunlight region meets the higher outlet temperature and efficiency. A vertical tubular receiver is modeled and analyzed for single phase flow with molten salt as heat transfer fluid and alloy625 as heat transfer material. The result is compared to a journal paper of similar numerical and experimental setup for validating our modeling. New types of helical tubular solar receivers are modeled and analyzed with heat transfer fluid turbulent flow in single phase, and granular particle and air plug flow in multiphase to observe the temperature rise in one cyclic operation. The Discrete Ordinate radiation model is used for numerical analysis with simulation software Ansys Fluent 15.0. The Eulerian granular multiphase model is used for multiphase flow. Applying the same modeling parameters and boundary conditions, the results of vertical and helical receivers are compared. With a helical receiver, higher temperature gain of heat transfer fluid is achieved in one cycle for both single phase and multiphase flow compared to the vertical receiver. Performance is also observed by varying dimension of helical receiver.

Nifedipine inhibits advanced glycation end products (AGEs) and their receptor (RAGE) interaction-mediated proximal tubular cell injury via peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma activation

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

Matsui, Takanori; Yamagishi, Sho-ichi, E-mail: shoichi@med.kurume-u.ac.jp; Takeuchi, Masayoshi

2010-07-23

Research highlights: {yields} Nifedipine inhibited the AGE-induced up-regulation of RAGE mRNA levels in tubular cells, which was prevented by GW9662, an inhibitor of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-{gamma}. {yields} GW9662 treatment alone increased RAGE mRNA levels in tubular cells. {yields} Nifedipine inhibited the AGE-induced reactive oxygen species generation, NF-{kappa}B activation and increases in intercellular adhesion molecule-1 and transforming growth factor-{beta} gene expression in tubular cells, all of which were blocked by GW9662. -- Abstract: There is a growing body of evidence that advanced glycation end products (AGEs) and their receptor (RAGE) interaction evokes oxidative stress generation and subsequently elicits inflammatory and fibrogenicmore » reactions, thereby contributing to the development and progression of diabetic nephropathy. We have previously found that nifedipine, a calcium-channel blocker (CCB), inhibits the AGE-induced mesangial cell damage in vitro. However, effects of nifedipine on proximal tubular cell injury remain unknown. We examined here whether and how nifedipine blocked the AGE-induced tubular cell damage. Nifedipine, but not amlodipine, a control CCB, inhibited the AGE-induced up-regulation of RAGE mRNA levels in tubular cells, which was prevented by the simultaneous treatment of GW9662, an inhibitor of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-{gamma} (PPAR{gamma}). GW9662 treatment alone was found to increase RAGE mRNA levels in tubular cells. Further, nifedipine inhibited the AGE-induced reactive oxygen species generation, NF-{kappa}B activation and increases in intercellular adhesion molecule-1 and transforming growth factor-beta gene expression in tubular cells, all of which were blocked by GW9662. Our present study provides a unique beneficial aspect of nifedipine on diabetic nephropathy; it could work as an anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory agent against AGEs in tubular cells by suppressing RAGE

75 FR 3248 - Certain Oil Country Tubular Goods From China

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-01-20

... Goods From China Determination On the basis of the record \\1\\ developed in the subject investigation... threatened with material injury by reason of imports from China of certain oil country tubular goods (``OCTG... subsidized by the Government of China. 2 3 \\1\\ The record is defined in sec. 207.2(f) of the Commission's...

Rhabdomyolysis with acute tubular necrosis following occupational inhalation of thinners.

PubMed

Ngajilo, D; Ehrlich, R

2017-07-01

Thinners are mixtures of organic solvents commonly containing toluene, xylene, acetone, hexane, benzene and methyl isobutyl ketone. This report describes a case of rhabdomyolysis with acute tubular necrosis and renal failure, most likely attributable to toluene, following occupational exposure to thinners while cleaning a steel water tank. These adverse health effects have previously been reported following acute poisoning or intentional inhalation by drug abusers, but rarely in the occupational setting. Poor working conditions, lack of health and safety training and delayed treatment contributed to the onset and severity of the patient's complications. This case emphasizes the need for strict control measures, including adequate ventilation, training on working in confined spaces, appropriate personal protective equipment and emergency rescue procedures in such settings. In addition, rhabdomyolysis, acute tubular necrosis and renal failure should be added to safety data material as possible complications of excessive inhalation of thinners. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Occupational Medicine. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Hydraulic pressure inducing renal tubular epithelial-myofibroblast transdifferentiation in vitro.

PubMed

Li, Fei-yan; Xie, Xi-sheng; Fan, Jun-ming; Li, Zi; Wu, Jiang; Zheng, Rong

2009-09-01

The effects of hydraulic pressure on renal tubular epithelial-myofibroblast transdifferentiation (TEMT) were investigated. We applied hydraulic pressure (50 cm H2O) to normal rat kidney tubular epithelial cells (NRK52E) for different durations. Furthermore, different pressure magnitudes were applied to cells. The morphology, cytoskeleton, and expression of myofibroblastic marker protein and transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) of NRK52E cells were examined. Disorganized actin filaments and formation of curling clusters in actin were seen in the cytoplasm of pressurized cells. We verified that de novo expression of alpha-smooth muscle actin induced by pressure, which indicated TEMT, was dependent on both the magnitude and duration of pressure. TGF-beta1 expression was significantly upregulated under certain conditions, which implies that the induction of TEMT by hydraulic pressure is related with TGF-beta1. We illustrate for the first time that hydraulic pressure can induce TEMT in a pressure magnitude- and duration-dependent manner, and that this TEMT is accompanied by TGF-beta1 secretion.

Template-based fluoroethylenepropylene piezoelectrets with tubular channels for transducer applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Altafim, Ruy Alberto Pisani; Qiu, Xunlin; Wirges, Werner; Gerhard, Reimund; Altafim, Ruy Alberto Corrêa; Basso, Heitor Cury; Jenninger, Werner; Wagner, Joachim

2009-07-01

We describe the concept, the fabrication, and the most relevant properties of a piezoelectric-polymer system: Two fluoroethylenepropylene (FEP) films with good electret properties are laminated around a specifically designed and prepared polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) template at 300 °C. After removing the PTFE template, a two-layer FEP film with open tubular channels is obtained. For electric charging, the two-layer FEP system is subjected to a high electric field. The resulting dielectric barrier discharges inside the tubular channels yield a ferroelectret with high piezoelectricity. d33 coefficients of up to 160 pC/N have already been achieved on the ferroelectret films. After charging at suitable elevated temperatures, the piezoelectricity is stable at temperatures of at least 130 °C. Advantages of the transducer films include ease of fabrication at laboratory or industrial scales, a wide range of possible geometrical and processing parameters, straightforward control of the uniformity of the polymer system, flexibility, and versatility of the soft ferroelectrets, and a large potential for device applications e.g., in the areas of biomedicine, communications, production engineering, sensor systems, environmental monitoring, etc.

Segmental heterogeneity in Bcl-2, Bcl-xL and Bax expression in rat tubular epithelium after ischemia-reperfusion.

PubMed

Valdés, Francisco; Pásaro, Eduardo; Díaz, Inmaculada; Centeno, Alberto; López, Eduardo; García-Doval, Sandra; González-Roces, Severino; Alba, Alfonso; Laffon, Blanca

2008-06-01

Studies in rats with bilateral clamping of renal arteries showed transient Bcl-2, Bcl-xL and Bax expression in renal tubular epithelium following ischemia-reperfusion. However, current data on the preferential localization of specific mRNAs or proteins are limited because gene expression was not analysed at segmental level. This study analyses the mRNA expression of Bcl-2, Bcl-xL and Bax in four segments of proximal and distal tubules localized in the renal cortex and outer medulla in rat kidneys with bilateral renal clamping for 30 min and seven reperfusion times versus control animals without clamp. Proximal convoluted tubule (PCT), distal convoluted tubule (DCT), proximal straight tubule (PST) and medullary thick ascending limb (MTAL) were obtained by manual microdissection. RT-PCR was used to analyse mRNA expression at segmental level. Proximal convoluted tubule and MTAL showed early, persistent and balanced up-regulation of Bcl-2, Bcl-xL and Bax, while PST and DCT revealed only Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL, when only Bax was detected in PST. DCT expressed Bcl-xL initially, and persistent Bcl-2 later. These patterns suggest a heterogeneous apoptosis regulatory response in rat renal tubules after ischemia-reperfusion, independently of cortical or medullary location. This heterogeneity of the expression patterns of Bcl-2 genes could explain the different susceptibility to undergo apoptosis, the different threshold to ischemic damage and the different adaptive capacity to injury among these tubular segments.

The kidney in vitamin B12 and folate homeostasis: characterization of receptors for tubular uptake of vitamins and carrier proteins.

PubMed

Birn, Henrik

2006-07-01

Over the past 10 years, animal studies have uncovered the molecular mechanisms for the renal tubular recovery of filtered vitamin and vitamin carrier proteins. Relatively few endocytic receptors are responsible for the proximal tubule uptake of a number of different vitamins, preventing urinary losses. In addition to vitamin conservation, tubular uptake by endocytosis is important to vitamin metabolism and homeostasis. The present review focuses on the receptors involved in renal tubular recovery of folate, vitamin B12, and their carrier proteins. The multiligand receptor megalin is important for the uptake and tubular accumulation of vitamin B12. During vitamin load, the kidney accumulates large amounts of free vitamin B12, suggesting a possible storage function. In addition, vitamin B12 is metabolized in the kidney, suggesting a role in vitamin homeostasis. The folate receptor is important for the conservation of folate, mediating endocytosis of the vitamin. Interaction between the structurally closely related, soluble folate-binding protein and megalin suggests that megalin plays an additional role in the uptake of folate bound to filtered folate-binding protein. A third endocytic receptor, the intrinsic factor-B12 receptor cubilin-amnionless complex, is essential to the renal tubular uptake of albumin, a carrier of folate. In conclusion, uptake is mediated by interaction with specific endocytic receptors also involved in the renal uptake of other vitamins and vitamin carriers. Little is known about the mechanisms regulating intracellular transport and release of vitamins, and whereas tubular uptake is a constitutive process, this may be regulated, e.g., by vitamin status.

Scaffold-Free Tubular Tissues Created by a Bio-3D Printer Undergo Remodeling and Endothelialization when Implanted in Rat Aortae

PubMed Central

Itoh, Manabu; Nakayama, Koichi; Noguchi, Ryo; Kamohara, Keiji; Furukawa, Kojirou; Uchihashi, Kazuyoshi; Toda, Shuji; Oyama, Jun-ichi; Node, Koichi; Morita, Shigeki

2015-01-01

Background Small caliber vascular prostheses are not clinically available because synthetic vascular prostheses lack endothelial cells which modulate platelet activation, leukocyte adhesion, thrombosis, and the regulation of vasomotor tone by the production of vasoactive substances. We developed a novel method to create scaffold-free tubular tissue from multicellular spheroids (MCS) using a “Bio-3D printer”-based system. This system enables the creation of pre-designed three-dimensional structures using a computer controlled robotics system. With this system, we created a tubular structure and studied its biological features. Methods and Results Using a “Bio-3D printer,” we made scaffold-free tubular tissues (inner diameter of 1.5 mm) from a total of 500 MCSs (2.5× 104 cells per one MCS) composed of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (40%), human aortic smooth muscle cells (10%), and normal human dermal fibroblasts (50%). The tubular tissues were cultured in a perfusion system and implanted into the abdominal aortas of F344 nude rats. We assessed the flow by ultrasonography and performed histological examinations on the second (n = 5) and fifth (n = 5) day after implantation. All grafts were patent and remodeling of the tubular tissues (enlargement of the lumen area and thinning of the wall) was observed. A layer of endothelial cells was confirmed five days after implantation. Conclusions The scaffold-free tubular tissues made of MCS using a Bio-3D printer underwent remodeling and endothelialization. Further studies are warranted to elucidate the underlying mechanism of endothelialization and its function, as well as the long-term results. PMID:26325298

A novel method to fabricate silicon tubular gratings with broadband antireflection and super-hydrophobicity.

PubMed

Gao, Yang; Shi, Tielin; Tan, Xianhua; Liao, Guanglan

2014-06-01

We have developed a novel method to fabricate micro/nano structure based on the coherent diffraction lithography, and acquired periodic silicon tubular gratings with deep nano-scale tapered profiles at the top part. The optical properties of these tubular gratings were similar to an effective gradient-index antireflective surface, resulting in a broadband antireflective combining super-hydrophobic behavior. The mechanism of the method was simulated by rigorous coupled wave analysis algorithms. Then coherent diffraction lithography by use of suitable mask, in which periodic micro-scale circular opaque patters were distributed, was realized on the traditional aligner. Due to coherent diffraction, we obtained enough light intensity for photoresist exposure under the center of the opaque area in the mask together with transparent areas. The tapered line profiles and hollow photoresist gratings over large areas could be fabricated on the silicon wafer after development. The dry etching process was carried out, and high aspect ratio silicon tubular gratings with deep tapered profiles at the top were fabricated. The optical property and wettability of the structure were verified, proving that the proposed method and obtained micro/nano structure provide application potential in the future.

First data on age of metarhyolites from the Turan Group of the Bureya Terrane, eastern part of the Central Asian Foldbelt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sorokin, A. A.; Smirnov, Yu. V.; Smirnova, Yu. N.; Kudryashov, N. M.

2011-07-01

The U-Pb geochronological studies showed that metarhyolites from the Turan Group of the Bureya (Turan) Terrane to the east of the Central Asian Foldbelt are Middle Cambrian (504 ± 8 Ma), not Neoproterozoic in age, as was suggested before. Metarhyolites are younger than the Early Cambrian terrigenous-carbonate sediments from this terrane characterized by the Atdabanian archaeochyatid. Considering that volcanic rocks have features of intraplate origin, it may be assumed that their formation corresponds to the breakup of the Early Paleozoic passive continental margin.

Deployable and retractable telescoping tubular structure development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thomson, M. W.

1993-02-01

The paper describes the design and the structural performance of a new type of deployable and retractable telescoping mast, which can be used for flight systems that require a deployable beam with superaccurate positioning characteristics or for short to medium highly loaded structural applications. The mast employs a Bi-STEM (a two-piece Storable Tubular Extendible Member) boom as an actuator and stabilizer, which alleviates the need for the deployed telescoping mast segments to overlap. Due to this feature and because the segments can be fully overlapped when stowed, the mast enables an unusually lightweight and compact launch configuration.

Seaweed morphology and ecology during the great animal diversification events of the early Paleozoic: A tale of two floras.

PubMed

LoDuca, S T; Bykova, N; Wu, M; Xiao, S; Zhao, Y

2017-07-01

Non-calcified marine macroalgae ("seaweeds") play a variety of key roles in the modern Earth system, and it is likely that they were also important players in the geological past, particularly during critical transitions such as the Cambrian Explosion (CE) and the Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event (GOBE). To investigate the morphology and ecology of seaweeds spanning the time frame from the CE through the GOBE, a carefully vetted database was constructed that includes taxonomic and morphometric information for non-calcified macroalgae from 69 fossil deposits. Analysis of the database shows a pattern of seaweed history that can be explained in terms of two floras: the Cambrian Flora and the Ordovician Flora. The Cambrian Flora was dominated by rather simple morphogroups, whereas the Ordovician Flora, which replaced the Cambrian Flora in the Ordovician and extended through the Silurian, mainly comprised comparatively complex morphogroups. In addition to morphogroup representation, the two floras show marked differences in taxonomic composition, morphospace occupation, functional-form group representation, and life habit, thereby pointing to significant morphological and ecological changes for seaweeds roughly concomitant with the GOBE and the transition from the Cambrian to Paleozoic Evolutionary Faunas. Macroalgal changes of a similar nature and magnitude, however, are not evident in concert with the CE, as the Cambrian Flora consists largely of forms established during the Ediacaran. The cause of such a lag in macroalgal morphological diversification remains unclear, but an intriguing possibility is that it signals a previously unknown difference between the CE and GOBE with regard to the introduction of novel grazing pressures. The consequences of the establishment of the Ordovician Flora for shallow marine ecosystems and Earth system dynamics remain to be explored in detail but could have been multifaceted and potentially include impacts on the global

Renal tubular angiotensin converting enzyme is responsible for nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME)-induced salt sensitivity

PubMed Central

Giani, Jorge F.; Eriguchi, Masahiro; Bernstein, Ellen A.; Katsumata, Makoto; Shen, Xiao Z.; Li, Liang; McDonough, Alicia A.; Fuchs, Sebastien; Bernstein, Kenneth E.; Gonzalez-Villalobos, Romer A.

2017-01-01

Renal parenchymal injury predisposes to salt-sensitive hypertension, but how this occurs is not known. Here we tested whether renal tubular angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE), the main site of kidney ACE expression, is central to the development of salt sensitivity in this setting. Two mouse models were used: it-ACE mice in which ACE expression is selectively eliminated from renal tubular epithelial cells; and ACE 3/9 mice, a compound heterozygous mouse model that makes ACE only in renal tubular epithelium from the ACE 9 allele, and in liver hepatocytes from the ACE 3 allele. Salt sensitivity was induced using a post L-NAME salt challenge. While both wild-type and ACE 3/9 mice developed arterial hypertension following three weeks of high salt administration, it-ACE mice remained normotensive with low levels of renal angiotensin II. These mice displayed increased sodium excretion, lower sodium accumulation, and an exaggerated reduction in distal sodium transporters. Thus, in mice with renal injury induced by L-NAME pretreatment, renal tubular epithelial ACE, and not ACE expression by renal endothelium, lung, brain, or plasma, is essential for renal angiotensin II accumulation and salt-sensitive hypertension. PMID:27988209

Sedimentology of SPICE (Steptoean positive carbon isotope excursion): A high-resolution trace fossil and microfabric analysis of the middle to late Cambrian Alum Shale Formation, southern Sweden

USGS Publications Warehouse

Egenhoff, Sven; Fishman, Neil; Ahlberg, Per; Maletz, Jorg; Jackson, Allison; Kolte, Ketki; Lowers, Heather; Mackie, James; Newby, Warren; Petrowsky, Matthew

2015-01-01

The Cambrian Alum Shale Formation in the Andrarum-3 core from Scania, southern Sweden, consists of black siliciclastic mudstone with minor carbonate intercalations. Four facies comprise three siliciclastic mudstones and one fine-grained carbonate. The facies reflect deposition along a transect from deep ramp to basin on a Cambrian shelf. The three mudstone facies contain abundant clay clasts and laterally variable siltstone laminae. Bed-load transport processes seem to have dominated deposition on this deep shelf. These sedimentary rocks record mainly event deposition, and only relatively few, thin laminae probably resulted from suspension settling. The Alum Shale Formation deep shelf did not show a bioturbation gradient, but fecal strings are common and Planolites burrows are rare in all mudstone facies. Evidence for biotic colonization indicates that this mudstone environment was not persistently anoxic, but rather was most likely intermittently dysoxic. The Alum Shale Formation in the Andrarum-3 core shows an overall decrease of grain size, preserved energy indicators, and carbonate content upsection interpreted to reflect a deepening upward. The succession can also be divided into four small-scale fining-upward cycles that represent deepening, and four overlying coarsening-upward cycles that represent upward shallowing.

Tubular structured hierarchical mesoporous titania material derived from natural cellulosic substances and application as photocatalyst for degradation of methylene blue

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

Huang, Haiqing; Liu, Xiaoyan; Huang, Jianguo, E-mail: jghuang@zju.edu.cn

Graphical abstract: Bio-inspired, tubular structured hierarchical mesoporous titania material with high photocatalytic activity under UV light was fabricated employing natural cellulosic substance (cotton) as hard template and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) surfactant as soft template using a one-pot sol-gel method. Highlights: {yields} Tubular structured mesoporous titania material was fabricated by sol-gel method. {yields} The titania material faithfully recorded the hierarchical structure of the template substrate (cotton). {yields} The titania material exhibited high photocatalytic activity in decomposition of methylene blue. -- Abstract: Bio-inspired, tubular structured hierarchical mesoporous titania material was designed and fabricated employing natural cellulosic substance (cotton) as hard template andmore » cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) surfactant as soft template by one-pot sol-gel method. The tubular structured hierarchical mesoporous titania material processes large specific surface area (40.23 m{sup 2}/g) and shows high photocatalytic activity in the photodegradation of methylene blue under UV light irradiation.« less

Coupled optical-thermal-fluid and structural analyses of novel light-trapping tubular panels for concentrating solar power receivers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ortega, Jesus D.; Christian, Joshua M.; Yellowhair, Julius E.; Ho, Clifford K.

2015-09-01

Traditional tubular receivers used in concentrating solar power are formed using tubes connected to manifolds to form panels; which in turn are arranged in cylindrical or rectangular shapes. Previous and current tubular receivers, such as the ones used in Solar One, Solar Two, and most recently the Ivanpah solar plants, have used a black paint coating to increase the solar absorptance of the receiver. However, these coatings degrade over time and must be reapplied, increasing the receiver maintenance cost. This paper presents the thermal efficiency evaluation of novel receiver tubular panels that have a higher effective solar absorptance due to a light-trapping effect created by arranging the tubes in each panel into unique geometric configurations. Similarly, the impact of the incidence angle on the effective solar absorptance and thermal efficiency is evaluated. The overarching goal of this work is to achieve effective solar absorptances of ~90% and thermal efficiencies above 85% without using an absorptance coating. Several panel geometries were initially proposed and were down-selected based on structural analyses considering the thermal and pressure loading requirements of molten salt and supercritical carbon-dioxide receivers. The effective solar absorptance of the chosen tube geometries and panel configurations were evaluated using the ray-tracing modeling capabilities of SolTrace. The thermal efficiency was then evaluated by coupling computational fluid dynamics with the ray-tracing results using ANSYS Fluent. Compared to the base case analysis (flat tubular panel), the novel tubular panels have shown an increase in effective solar absorptance and thermal efficiency by several percentage points.

Calcium-binding proteins annexin A2 and S100A6 are sensors of tubular injury and recovery in acute renal failure.

PubMed

Cheng, Chao-Wen; Rifai, Abdalla; Ka, Shuk-Man; Shui, Hao-Ai; Lin, Yuh-Feng; Lee, Wei-Hwa; Chen, Ann

2005-12-01

Rise in cellular calcium is associated with acute tubular necrosis, the most common cause of acute renal failure (ARF). The mechanisms that calcium signaling induce in the quiescent tubular cells to proliferate and differentiate during acute tubular necrosis have not been elucidated. Acute tubular necrosis induced in mice by single intravenous injection of uranyl nitrate and examined after 1, 3, 7, and 14 days. Renal function was monitored and kidneys were evaluated by histology, immunohistochemistry, Western blotting, in situ hybridization, and real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Models of folic acid induced-ARF and ischemic/reperfusion (I/R) injury were similarly investigated. Analysis of mRNA expression of intracellular calcium and phospholipid-binding proteins demonstrated selective expression of S100A6 and Annexin A2 (Anxa2) in the renal cortex with marked elevation on day 3, and gradually decline on day 7 and further attenuation on day 14. Similarly, the expression of both proteins, as demonstrated by immunohistochemistry and Western blot analysis, was increased and reached the peak level on day 7 and then gradually declined by day 14. Vimentin, a marker of dedifferentiated cells, was highly expressed during the recovery phase. Combined in situ hybridization immunohistochemistry revealed colocalization of both S100A6 and Anxa2 with proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA). The universality of this phenomenon was confirmed in two other mouse acute tubular necrosis models, the ischemic-reperfusion injury and folic acid-induced ARF. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that S100A6 and Anxa2 expression, initiated in response to tubular injury, persist in parallel throughout the recovery process of tubular cells in acute renal failure.

Disruption of gap junctions attenuates aminoglycoside-elicited renal tubular cell injury.

PubMed

Yao, Jian; Huang, Tao; Fang, Xin; Chi, Yuan; Zhu, Ying; Wan, Yigang; Matsue, Hiroyuki; Kitamura, Masanori

2010-08-01

Gap junctions play important roles in the regulation of cell phenotype and in determining cell survival after various insults. Here, we investigated the role of gap junctions in aminoglycoside-induced injury to renal tubular cells. Two tubular epithelial cell lines NRK-E52 and LLC-PK1 were compared for gap junction protein expression and function by immunofluorescent staining, Western blot and dye transfer assay. Cell viability after exposure to aminoglycosides was evaluated by WST assay. Gap junctions were modulated by transfection of the gap junction protein, connexin 43 (Cx43), use of Cx43 siRNA and gap junction inhibitors. NRK-E52 cells expressed abundant Cx43 and were functionally coupled by gap junctional intercellular communication (GJIC). Exposure of NRK-E52 cells to aminoglycosides, G418 and hygromycin, increased Cx43 phosphorylation and GJIC. The aminoglycosides also decreased cell viability that was prevented by gap junction inhibitors and Cx43 siRNA. LLC-PK1 cells were gap junction-deficient and resistant to aminoglycoside-induced cytotoxicity. Over-expression of a wild-type Cx43 converted LLC-PK1 cells to a drug-sensitive phenotype. The gap junction inhibitor alpha-glycyrrhetinic acid (alpha-GA) activated Akt in NRK-E52 cells. Inhibition of the Akt pathway enhanced cell toxicity to G418 and abolished the protective effects of alpha-GA. In addition, gentamycin-elicited cytotoxicity in NRK-E52 cells was also significantly attenuated by alpha-GA. Gap junctions contributed to the cytotoxic effects of aminoglycosides. Modulation of gap junctions could be a promising approach for prevention and treatment of aminoglycoside-induced renal tubular cell injury.

Worsening Renal Function in Patients With Acute Heart Failure Undergoing Aggressive Diuresis Is Not Associated With Tubular Injury.

PubMed

Ahmad, Tariq; Jackson, Keyanna; Rao, Veena S; Tang, W H Wilson; Brisco-Bacik, Meredith A; Chen, Horng H; Felker, G Michael; Hernandez, Adrian F; O'Connor, Christopher M; Sabbisetti, Venkata S; Bonventre, Joseph V; Wilson, F Perry; Coca, Steven G; Testani, Jeffrey M

2018-05-08

Worsening renal function (WRF) in the setting of aggressive diuresis for acute heart failure treatment may reflect renal tubular injury or simply indicate a hemodynamic or functional change in glomerular filtration. Well-validated tubular injury biomarkers, N -acetyl-β-d-glucosaminidase, neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin, and kidney injury molecule 1, are now available that can quantify the degree of renal tubular injury. The ROSE-AHF trial (Renal Optimization Strategies Evaluation-Acute Heart Failure) provides an experimental platform for the study of mechanisms of WRF during aggressive diuresis for acute heart failure because the ROSE-AHF protocol dictated high-dose loop diuretic therapy in all patients. We sought to determine whether tubular injury biomarkers are associated with WRF in the setting of aggressive diuresis and its association with prognosis. Patients in the multicenter ROSE-AHF trial with baseline and 72-hour urine tubular injury biomarkers were analyzed (n=283). WRF was defined as a ≥20% decrease in glomerular filtration rate estimated with cystatin C. Consistent with protocol-driven aggressive dosing of loop diuretics, participants received a median 560 mg IV furosemide equivalents (interquartile range, 300-815 mg), which induced a urine output of 8425 mL (interquartile range, 6341-10 528 mL) over the 72-hour intervention period. Levels of N -acetyl-β-d-glucosaminidase and kidney injury molecule 1 did not change with aggressive diuresis (both P >0.59), whereas levels of neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin decreased slightly (-8.7 ng/mg; interquartile range, -169 to 35 ng/mg; P <0.001). WRF occurred in 21.2% of the population and was not associated with an increase in any marker of renal tubular injury: neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin ( P =0.21), N -acetyl-β-d-glucosaminidase ( P =0.46), or kidney injury molecule 1 ( P =0.22). Increases in neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin, N -acetyl

PCL-PGLA composite tubular scaffold preparation and biocompatibility investigation.

PubMed

Mo, X; Weber, H-J; Ramakrishna, S

2006-08-01

The objective of this paper was to fabricate a biodegradable tubular scaffold for small diameter (d<6 mm) blood vessel tissue engineering. The tube scaffold needed a porous wall for cell attachment, proliferation and tissue regeneration with its degradation. A novel method given in this paper was to coat a porous layer of poly (epsilon-caprolactone) (PCL) on the outside of a poly (glycolic-co-lactic acid) (PGLA with GA:LA=90:10) fiber braided tube to give a PCL-PGLA composite. The PGLA tube was fabricated using a braiding machine by inserting a Teflon tube with the desired diameter in center of the 20 spindles, which are the carriers of PGLA fibers. Changing the diameter of the Teflon tube can vary the inner diameter of a braided PGLA tube. Thermally induced phase separation method was used for PCL solution coating on the surface of the PGLA braided tube. Controlling the polymer concentration, non-solvent addition and quenching temperature generated the pore structures, with pore sizes ranging from 10-30 microm. The fibroblast cells were seeded on the tubular scaffold and cultured in vitro for the biocompatibility investigation. Histology results showed that the fibroblast cells proliferated on the interconnected pore of the PCL porous layer in 1 week.

The Kenny syndrome, a rare type of growth deficiency with tubular stenosis, transient hypoparathyroidism and anomalies of refraction.

PubMed

Majewski, F; Rosendahl, W; Ranke, M; Nolte, K

1981-03-01

One family (3 cases) with the Kenny syndrome and a second family (3 cases) with features of Kenny syndrome but lacking medullary stenosis are reported. The main symptoms in both families are proportionate dwarfism, cortical thickening of tubular bones, variable anomalies of the calvaria, anemia, transient hypoparathyroidism and variable ocular anomalies. The latter include microphthalmia, and moderate-to-severe myopia or hyperopia. In the first family there was medullary stenosis of most tubular bones. In the second family two cases exhibited mild-to-moderate cortical thickening of tubular bones, but absent or mild medullary stenosis. Possible variability of the Kenny syndrome is discussed. Endocrine studies failed to demonstrate any permanent disturbance of parathormone or calcitonin metabolism, or GH deficiency. Pathogenesis remains unclear. Autosomal dominant inheritance seems to be likely.

Normalized Urinary Flow at Puberty after Tubularized Incised Plate Urethroplasty for Hypospadias in Childhood.

PubMed

Andersson, Marie; Doroszkiewicz, Monika; Arfwidsson, Charlotte; Abrahamsson, Kate; Sillén, Ulla; Holmdahl, Gundela

2015-11-01

An obstructive urinary flow pattern is frequently seen after tubularized incised plate urethroplasty for hypospadias. However, the significance of this finding has not been determined and long-term results are few. We describe postoperative long-term uroflowmetry results after puberty in males who underwent tubularized incised plate urethroplasty in childhood. A total of 126 boys underwent tubularized incised plate urethroplasty for distal penile to mid shaft hypospadias at Queen Silvia Children's Hospital in Gothenburg between 1999 and 2003. Of the patients 48 were toilet trained at surgery. We report on 40 patients who had data available at 2 and 12 months postoperatively, 7 years postoperatively and at puberty (median age 15.0 years, range 13.7 to 17.1). Of the patients 31 had distal and 9 had mid penile hypospadias. Clinical examination, urinary medical history, uroflowmetry and ultrasound measuring residual urine were performed. Maximum urinary flow was correlated to age and voided volume, using Miskolc nomograms for comparison of percentiles. At 1 year postoperatively 15 boys (37.5%) had normal urinary flow (above 25th percentile), compared to 16 (40%) at 7 years and 38 (95%) at puberty (p <0.0001). Improvement was significant in patients with distal (p <0.0001) and mid penile hypospadias (p = 0.008), as well as in patients who did (p = 0.0078) and did not undergo intervention (p <0.0001). During followup 5 patients underwent meatotomy due to obstructive symptoms and 4 underwent dilation. Three of these 9 patients had lichen sclerosus. There is great potential for normalization of urinary flow at puberty for boys with hypospadias treated with tubularized incised plate urethroplasty. Unless symptoms occur, a conservative approach seems preferable. Copyright © 2015 American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Expanding the histologic spectrum of mucinous tubular and spindle cell carcinoma of the kidney.

PubMed

Fine, Samson W; Argani, Pedram; DeMarzo, Angelo M; Delahunt, Brett; Sebo, Thomas J; Reuter, Victor E; Epstein, Jonathan I

2006-12-01

Mucinous tubular and spindle cell carcinomas (MTSCs) are polymorphic neoplasms characterized by small, elongated tubules lined by cuboidal cells and/or cords of spindled cells separated by pale mucinous stroma. Nonclassic morphologic variants and features of MTSC have not been well studied. We identified 17 previously unreported MTSCs from Surgical Pathology and consultative files of the authors and their respective institutions and studied their morphologic features. A total of 10/17 cases were considered "classic," as described above, with 5/10 showing at least focal (20% to 50%) tubular predominance without apparent mucinous matrix. Alcian blue staining revealed abundant (>50%) mucin in all classic cases. Seven of 17 MTSCs were classified as "mucin-poor," with little to no extracellular mucin appreciable by hematoxylin and eosin. Four of these cases showed equal tubular and spindled morphology, 2 cases showed spindle cell predominance (70%; 95%), and 1 case showed tubular predominance (90%). In 5/7 mucin-poor cases, staining for Alcian blue revealed scant (<10%) mucin in cellular areas with the other 2 cases having 30% mucin. Unusual histologic features identified in the 17 cases were: foamy macrophages (n=8), papillations/well formed papillae (n=6/n=1), focal clear cells in tubules (n=3), necrosis (n=3), oncocytic tubules (n=2; 40%, 5%), numerous small vacuoles (n=2), heterotopic bone (n=1), psammomatous calcification (n=1), and nodular growth with lymphocytic cuffing (n=1). An exceptional case contained a well-circumscribed, HMB45-positive angiomyolipoma within the MTSC. MTSCs may be "mucin-poor" and show a marked predominance of either of its principal morphologic components, which coupled with the presence of other unusual features such as clear cells, papillations, foamy macrophages, and necrosis, may mimic other forms of renal cell carcinoma. Pathologists must be aware of the spectrum of histologic findings within MTSCs to ensure their accurate diagnosis.

Tissue-Engineered Heart Valve with a Tubular Leaflet Design for Minimally Invasive Transcatheter Implantation

PubMed Central

Moreira, Ricardo; Velz, Thaddaeus; Alves, Nuno; Gesche, Valentine N.; Malischewski, Axel; Schmitz-Rode, Thomas; Frese, Julia

2015-01-01

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation of (nonviable) bioprosthetic valves has been proven a valid alternative to conventional surgical implantation in patients at high or prohibitive mortality risk. In this study we present the in vitro proof-of-principle of a newly developed tissue-engineered heart valve for minimally invasive implantation, with the ultimate aim of adding the unique advantages of a living tissue with regeneration capabilities to the continuously developing transcatheter technologies. The tube-in-stent is a fibrin-based tissue-engineered valve with a tubular leaflet design. It consists of a tubular construct sewn into a self-expandable nitinol stent at three commissural attachment points and along a circumferential line so that it forms three coaptating leaflets by collapsing under diastolic back pressure. The tubular constructs were molded with fibrin and human umbilical vein cells. After 3 weeks of conditioning in a bioreactor, the valves were fully functional with unobstructed opening (systolic phase) and complete closure (diastolic phase). Tissue analysis showed a homogeneous cell distribution throughout the valve's thickness and deposition of collagen types I and III oriented along the longitudinal direction. Immunohistochemical staining against CD31 and scanning electron microscopy revealed a confluent endothelial cell layer on the surface of the valves. After harvesting, the valves underwent crimping for 20 min to simulate the catheter-based delivery. This procedure did not affect the valvular functionality in terms of orifice area during systole and complete closure during diastole. No influence on the extracellular matrix organization, as assessed by immunohistochemistry, nor on the mechanical properties was observed. These results show the potential of combining tissue engineering and minimally invasive implantation technology to obtain a living heart valve with a simple and robust tubular design for transcatheter delivery. The effect

Folded tubular photometer for atmospheric measurements of NO2 and NO

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Birks, John W.; Andersen, Peter C.; Williford, Craig J.; Turnipseed, Andrew A.; Strunk, Stanley E.; Ennis, Christine A.; Mattson, Erick

2018-05-01

We describe and characterize a modular folded tubular photometer for making direct measurements of the concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and specify how this method could be extended to measure other pollutants such as sulfur dioxide (SO2), ozone (O3), and black carbon particulate matter. Direct absorbance measurements using this photometer can be made across the spectral range from the ultraviolet (UV) to the near infrared. The absorbance cell makes use of modular components (tubular detection cells and mirror cubes) that allow construction of path lengths of up to 2 m or more while maintaining low cell volumes. The long path lengths and low cell volumes enable sensitive detection of ambient air pollutants down to low part-per-billion levels for gas species and aerosol extinctions down to 1 Mm-1, corresponding to ˜ 0.1 µg m-3 for black carbon particulates. Pressure equalization throughout the stages of the absorbance measurement is shown to be critical to accurate measurements of analyte concentrations. The present paper describes the application of this photometer to direct measurements of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and the incorporation of design features that also enable measurement of nitric oxide (NO) in the same instrument. Excellent agreement for ambient measurements along an urban roadside was found for both NO2 and NO measured by the folded tubular photometer compared to existing standard techniques. Compared to commonly used methods for measurements of NOx species, the advantages of this approach include (1) an absolute quantification for NO2 based on the Beer-Lambert law, thereby greatly reducing the frequency at which calibrations are required; (2) the direct measurement of NO2 concentration without prior conversion to NO as is required for the commonly used chemiluminescence method; (3) the use of modular components that allow construction of absorbance detection cells of varying lengths for extending the dynamic range of concentrations that can

Transverse writing of three-dimensional tubular optical waveguides in glass with a slit-shaped femtosecond laser beam

PubMed Central

Liao, Yang; Qi, Jia; Wang, Peng; Chu, Wei; Wang, Zhaohui; Qiao, Lingling; Cheng, Ya

2016-01-01

We report on fabrication of tubular optical waveguides buried in ZBLAN glass based on transverse femtosecond laser direct writing. Irradiation in ZBLAN with focused femtosecond laser pulses leads to decrease of refractive index in the modified region. Tubular optical waveguides of variable mode areas are fabricated by forming the four sides of the cladding with slit-shaped femtosecond laser pulses, ensuring single mode waveguiding with a mode field dimension as small as ~4 μm. PMID:27346285

NADPH oxidase inhibition reduces tubular sodium transport and improves kidney oxygenation in diabetes.

PubMed

Persson, Patrik; Hansell, Peter; Palm, Fredrik

2012-06-15

Sustained hyperglycemia is associated with increased oxidative stress resulting in decreased intrarenal oxygen tension (Po(2)) due to increased oxygen consumption (Qo(2)). Chronic blockade of the main superoxide radicals producing system, the nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase, normalizes Qo(2) by isolated proximal tubular cells (PTC) and reduces proteinuria in diabetes. The aim was to investigate the effects of acute NADPH oxidase inhibition on tubular Na(+) transport and kidney Po(2) in vivo. Glomerular filtration rate (GFR), renal blood flow (RBF), filtration fraction (FF), Na(+) excretion, fractional Li(+) excretion, and intrarenal Po(2) was measured in control and streptozotocin-diabetic rats during baseline and after acute NADPH oxidase inhibition using apocynin. The effects on tubular transporters were investigated using freshly isolated PTC. GFR was increased in diabetics compared with controls (2.2 ± 0.3 vs. 1.4 ± 0.1 ml·min(-1)·kidney(-1)). RBF was similar in both groups, resulting in increased FF in diabetics. Po(2) was reduced in cortex and medulla in diabetic kidneys compared with controls (34.4 ± 0.7 vs. 42.5 ± 1.2 mmHg and 15.7 ± 1.2 vs. 25.5 ± 2.3 mmHg, respectively). Na(+) excretion was increased in diabetics compared with controls (24.0 ± 4.7 vs. 9.0 ± 2.0 μm·min(-1)·kidney(-1)). In controls, all parameters were unaffected. However, apocynin increased Na(+) excretion (+112%) and decreased fractional lithium reabsorption (-10%) in diabetics, resulting in improved cortical (+14%) and medullary (+28%) Po(2). Qo(2) was higher in PTC isolated from diabetic rats compared with control. Apocynin, dimethylamiloride, and ouabain reduced Qo(2), but the effects of combining apocynin with either dimethylamiloride or ouabain were not additive. In conclusion, NADPH oxidase inhibition reduces tubular Na(+) transport and improves intrarenal Po(2) in diabetes.

The effect of maleate induced proximal tubular dysfunction on the renal handling of Tc-99m DMSA in the rat

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

Provoost, A.P.; Van Aken, M.

1984-01-01

In the healthy kidney Tc-99m DMSA accumulates in the proximal tubular cells. Consequently, impairment of the reabsorptive function of these cells may alter the renal handling of this static renal imaging agent. The authors investigated in rats the effects of a sodiummaleate (Ma) (2mmol/kg iv) induced proximal tubular dysfunction on the renal accumulation and excretion of Tc-99m DMSA. Such a treatment results in a moderate fall of the glomerular filtration rate, glycosuria, aminoaciduria and a tubular proteinuria. In 7 adult male Wistar rats, Tc-99m DMSA scans were taken before Ma, on the day of treatment, and 1 week thereafter. Themore » accumulation of Tc-99m DMSA in kidneys (Ki) and bladder (Bl) was determined at 1, 2, 4, and 24 hours after i.v. injection. The results, expressed as a percentage of the injected dose, are presented. The findings show that a reversible Ma induced impairment of the proximal reabsorptive capacity severely alters the renal tubular handling of Tc-99m DMSA. In contrast to the control situation, only a small fraction of the DMSA is retained in the kidney and the majority is transported directly to the urinary bladder. When similar alterations are observed in clinical Tc-99m DMSA scans, this may be an indication of an impairment of the proximal tubular function.« less

Ex vivo hyperpolarized MR spectroscopy on isolated renal tubular cells: A novel technique for cell energy phenotyping.

PubMed

Juul, Troels; Palm, Fredrik; Nielsen, Per Mose; Bertelsen, Lotte Bonde; Laustsen, Christoffer

2017-08-01

It has been demonstrated that hyperpolarized 13 C MR is a useful tool to study cultured cells. However, cells in culture can alter phenotype, which raises concerns regarding the in vivo significance of such findings. Here we investigate if metabolic phenotyping using hyperpolarized 13 C MR is suitable for cells isolated from kidney tissue, without prior cell culture. Isolation of tubular cells from freshly excised kidney tissue and treatment with either ouabain or antimycin A was investigated with hyperpolarized MR spectroscopy on a 9.4 Tesla preclinical imaging system. Isolation of tubular cells from less than 2 g of kidney tissue generally resulted in more than 10 million live tubular cells. This amount of cells was enough to yield robust signals from the conversion of 13 C-pyruvate to lactate, bicarbonate and alanine, demonstrating that metabolic flux by means of both anaerobic and aerobic pathways can be quantified using this technique. Ex vivo metabolic phenotyping using hyperpolarized 13 C MR in a preclinical system is a useful technique to study energy metabolism in freshly isolated renal tubular cells. This technique has the potential to advance our understanding of both normal cell physiology as well as pathological processes contributing to kidney disease. Magn Reson Med 78:457-461, 2017. © 2016 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. © 2016 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

Exosome production and its regulation of EGFR during wound healing in renal tubular cells.

PubMed

Zhou, Xiangjun; Zhang, Wei; Yao, Qisheng; Zhang, Hao; Dong, Guie; Zhang, Ming; Liu, Yutao; Chen, Jian-Kang; Dong, Zheng

2017-06-01