Draft Genome Sequence of Lactobacillus salivarius L28 Isolated from Ground Beef

PubMed Central

Ayala, Diana I.; Cook, Peter W.; Campos, David L.; Brashears, Mindy M.; den Bakker, Henk

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT In this report, we describe the draft genome sequence of a newly discovered probiotic strain, Lactobacillus salivarius L28. L. salivarius L28 demonstrates antagonistic effects against human foodborne pathogens, including Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella spp., and Listeria monocytogenes, in coculture experiments and food matrices. PMID:28963206

Research projects lead by the USDA Cranberry Entomology Laboratory (CEL)

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

1. Newly discovered native nematode species represent bio-insecticides (grad student project) a. Problems being addressed: Issues over flea beetle control; unresolved questions over pesticide use during bloom. b. Discoveries: at least two native nematodes species new to science have been discovered ...

Directly Imaged Giant Planets: What Do We Hope to Learn?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Marley, Mark

2015-01-01

As we move into an era when GPI and SPHERE are (hopefully) discovering and characterizing new young giant planets, it is worthwhile to step back and review our science goals for young giant planets. Of course for individual planets we ideally would hope to measure mass, radius, atmospheric composition, temperature, and cloud properties, but how do these characteristics fit into our broader understanding of planetary system origin and evolution theories? In my presentation I will review both the specifics of what we hope to learn from newly discovered young worlds as well as how these characteristics inform our broader understanding of giant planets and planetary systems. Finally I will consider the limitations realistic datasets will place on our ability to understand newly discovered planets, illustrating with data from any new such worlds that are available by the conference date.

Spin period evolution of the newly identified ULX pulsar (NGC 300 ULX1) associated with the supernova impostor SN2010da

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vasilopoulos, G.; Haberl, F.; Carpano, S.; Maitra, C.

2018-01-01

Following the discovery of the newly discovered ULX pulsar in NGC 300 (ATel #11158) we searched the available X-ray data for the evolution of the spin period of the neutron star and the X-ray luminosity.

Anatomy and histology of the newly discovered adipose sac structure within the labia majora: international original research.

PubMed

Ostrzenski, Adam; Krajewski, Pawel; Davis, Kern

2016-09-01

To determine whether there is any new anatomical structure present within the labia majora. A case serial study was executed on eleven consecutive fresh human female cadavers. Stratum-by-stratum dissections of the labia majora were performed. Twenty-two anatomic dissections of labia majora were completed. Eosin and Hematoxylin agents were used to stain newly discovered adipose sac's tissues of the labia majora and the cylinder-like structures, which cover condensed adipose tissues. The histology of these two structures was compared. All dissected labia majora demonstrated the presence of the anatomic existence of the adipose sac structure. Just under the dermis of the labia majora, the adipose sac was located, which was filled with lobules containing condensed fatty tissues in the form of cylinders. The histological investigation established that the well-organized fibro-connective-adipose tissues represented the adipose sac. The absence of descriptions of the adipose sac within the labia majora in traditional anatomic and gynecologic textbooks was noted. In this study group, the newly discovered adipose sac is consistently present within the anatomical structure of the labia majora. The well-organized fibro-connective-adipose tissue represents microscopic characteristic features of the adipose sac.

Flagstaff Robotic Survey Telescope (FRoST): Rapid Response for NEOs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Avner, Louis Daniel; Trilling, David E.; Dunham, Edward W.

2016-10-01

The Flagstaff Robotic Survey Telescope (FRoST) is a robotic 0.6m Schmidt telescope that will be used for instant follow-up observations of newly discovered Near Earth Objects (NEOs). Here, we present the progress being made on FRoST as well as the remaining tasks until the telescope is fully operational. With more than one thousand NEOs being found yearly, more telescopes are needed to carry out follow-up observations. Most NEOs are found at their peak brightness, meaning that these observations need to happen quickly before they fade. By using the Catalina Sky Survey Queue Manager, FRoST will be able to accept interruptions during the night and prioritize observations automatically, allowing instant follow-up observations. FRoST will help refine the orbit of these newly discovered objects while providing optical colors. We will ingest information from the NEOCP and JPL's Scout program at five minute intervals and observe newly discovered targets robotically, process the data automatically, and autonomously generate astrometry and colors. We estimate that will we provide essentially 100% recovery of objects brighter than V~20. This work was supported by the NSF MRI program as well as by NAU and Lowell Observatory.

Automated Classification of Asteroids into Families at Work

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Knežević, Zoran; Milani, Andrea; Cellino, Alberto; Novaković, Bojan; Spoto, Federica; Paolicchi, Paolo

2014-07-01

We have recently proposed a new approach to the asteroid family classification by combining the classical HCM method with an automated procedure to add newly discovered members to existing families. This approach is specifically intended to cope with ever increasing asteroid data sets, and consists of several steps to segment the problem and handle the very large amount of data in an efficient and accurate manner. We briefly present all these steps and show the results from three subsequent updates making use of only the automated step of attributing the newly numbered asteroids to the known families. We describe the changes of the individual families membership, as well as the evolution of the classification due to the newly added intersections between the families, resolved candidate family mergers, and emergence of the new candidates for the mergers. We thus demonstrate how by the new approach the asteroid family classification becomes stable in general terms (converging towards a permanent list of confirmed families), and in the same time evolving in details (to account for the newly discovered asteroids) at each update.

Seven new carbon-enhanced metal-poor RR Lyrae stars

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

Kennedy, Catherine R.; Stancliffe, Richard J.; Kuehn, Charles

2014-05-20

We report estimated carbon-abundance ratios, [C/Fe], for seven newly discovered carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) RR Lyrae stars. These are well-studied RRab stars that had previously been selected as CEMP candidates based on low-resolution spectra. For this pilot study, we observed eight of these CEMP RR Lyrae candidates with the Wide Field Spectrograph on the ANU 2.3 m telescope. Prior to this study, only two CEMP RR Lyrae stars had been discovered: TY Gru and SDSS J1707+58. We compare our abundances to new theoretical models of the evolution of low-mass stars in binary systems. These simulations evolve the secondary stars, post accretionmore » from an asymptotic giant-branch (AGB) donor, all the way to the RR Lyrae stage. The abundances of CEMP RR Lyrae stars can be used as direct probes of the nature of the donor star, such as its mass, and the amount of material accreted onto the secondary. We find that the majority of the sample of CEMP RR Lyrae stars is consistent with AGB donor masses of around 1.5-2.0 M {sub ☉} and accretion masses of a few hundredths of a solar mass. Future high-resolution studies of these newly discovered CEMP RR Lyrae stars will help disentangle the effects of the proposed mixing processes that occur in such objects.« less

HIV+ deceased donor referrals: A national survey of organ procurement organizations.

PubMed

Cash, Ayla; Luo, Xun; Chow, Eric K H; Bowring, Mary Grace; Shaffer, Ashton A; Doby, Brianna; Wickliffe, Corey E; Alexander, Charles; McRann, Deborah; Tobian, Aaron A R; Segev, Dorry L; Durand, Christine M

2018-02-01

HIV-infected (HIV+) donor organs can be transplanted into HIV+ recipients under the HIV Organ Policy Equity (HOPE) Act. Quantifying HIV+ donor referrals received by organ procurement organizations (OPOs) is critical for HOPE Act implementation. We surveyed the 58 USA OPOs regarding HIV+ referral records and newly discovered HIV+ donors. Using data from OPOs that provided exact records and CDC HIV prevalence data, we projected a national estimate of HIV+ referrals. Fifty-five (95%) OPOs reported HIV+ referrals ranging from 0 to 276 and newly discovered HIV+ cases ranging from 0 to 10 annually. Six OPOs in areas of high HIV prevalence reported more than 100 HIV+ donor referrals. Twenty-seven (47%) OPOs provided exact HIV+ referral records and 28 (51%) OPOs provided exact records of discovered HIV+ cases, totaling 1450 HIV+ referrals and 39 discovered HIV+ donors in the prior year. These OPOs represented 67% and 59% of prevalent HIV cases in the USA; thus, we estimated 2164 HIV+ referrals and 66 discovered HIV+ cases nationally per year. OPOs reported a high volume of HIV+ referrals annually, of which a subset will be medically eligible for donation. Particularly in areas of high HIV prevalence, OPOs require ongoing support to implement the HOPE Act. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Using internet images to gather distributional data for a newly discovered Caloptilia species (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae) specializing on Chinese tallow in North America

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Chinese tallow tree (Triadica sebifera (L.), Euphorbiaceae) is a noxious and highly invasive species that was deliberately introduced to GA in 1772. In early 2009, an unfamiliar caterpillar was independently discovered feeding on T. sebifera trees in Gainesville, FL and Slidell, LA. Adult moths were...

Trocara virus: a newly recognized Alphavirus (Togaviridae) isolated from mosquitoes in the Amazon Basin.

PubMed

Travassos da Rosa, A P; Turell, M J; Watts, D M; Powers, A M; Vasconcelos, P F; Jones, J W; Klein, T A; Dohm, D J; Shope, R E; Degallier, N; Popov, V L; Russell, K L; Weaver, S C; Guzman, H; Calampa, C; Brault, A C; Lemon, A P; Tesh, R B

2001-01-01

This report describes Trocara virus, a newly recognized member of the genus Alphavirus, that has been isolated from Aedes serratus mosquitoes collected at two widely separated sites in the Amazon Basin. Biological, antigenic and genetic characteristics of the new virus are given. Results of these studies indicate that Trocara virus is the first member of a newly discovered antigenic complex within the family Togaviridae genus Alphavirus. The public health and veterinary importance of Trocara virus is still unknown.

32 CFR 719.144 - Application for relief under 10 U.S.C. 869, in cases which have been finally reviewed.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... of newly discovered evidence, fraud on the court, lack of jurisdiction over the accused or the... the time of trial, if applicable; (9) Type of court-martial which convicted the applicant, and... discovered evidence; (ii) Fraud on the court; (iii) Lack of jurisdiction over the accused or the offense; (iv...

32 CFR 719.144 - Application for relief under 10 U.S.C. 869, in cases which have been finally reviewed.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... of newly discovered evidence, fraud on the court, lack of jurisdiction over the accused or the... the time of trial, if applicable; (9) Type of court-martial which convicted the applicant, and... discovered evidence; (ii) Fraud on the court; (iii) Lack of jurisdiction over the accused or the offense; (iv...

32 CFR 719.144 - Application for relief under 10 U.S.C. 869, in cases which have been finally reviewed.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... of newly discovered evidence, fraud on the court, lack of jurisdiction over the accused or the... the time of trial, if applicable; (9) Type of court-martial which convicted the applicant, and... discovered evidence; (ii) Fraud on the court; (iii) Lack of jurisdiction over the accused or the offense; (iv...

Physicians’ duty to recontact and update genetic advice

PubMed Central

Stevens, Yvonne A; Senner, Grant D; Marchant, Gary E

2017-01-01

This perspective addresses whether physicians have a duty to recontact former or current patients to update clinical advice based on newly discovered genomic information. Genetic information is unique compared with other medical data in that the underlying data do not appreciably change during the patients’ lifetime, but the clinical significance of that information will continue to evolve. Based on relevant case law and guidelines, there is no general, established legal duty for physicians to affirmatively recontact former or current patients to update clinical advice based on newly discovered genetic information. However, integration of genomics into clinical practice is advancing quickly, and there may be limited, specific situations where a physician may have a duty to provide updated genetic information. PMID:29158769

Long term structural effects in water: autothixotropy of water and its hysteresis.

PubMed

Vybíral, Bohumil; Vorácek, Pavel

2007-07-01

We discovered a previously unknown phenomenon in liquid water, which develops over time when water is left to stand undisturbed, and which made precise gravimetric measurement impossible. We term this property autothixotropy (weak gel-like behaviour developing spontaneously over time) and propose a possible explanation. The results of quantitative measurements, performed by two different methods, are presented. We also report the newly discovered phenomenon of autothixotropy-hysteresis and describe the dependence of autothixotropy on the degree of molecular translative freedom. A very important conclusion is that the presence of very low concentration of salt ions, these phenomena do not occur in deionized water. Salt ions may be the determinative condition for the occurrence of the phenomena.

SEVEN NEW BINARIES DISCOVERED IN THE KEPLER LIGHT CURVES THROUGH THE BEER METHOD CONFIRMED BY RADIAL-VELOCITY OBSERVATIONS

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

Faigler, S.; Mazeh, T.; Tal-Or, L.

We present seven newly discovered non-eclipsing short-period binary systems with low-mass companions, identified by the recently introduced BEER algorithm, applied to the publicly available 138-day photometric light curves obtained by the Kepler mission. The detection is based on the beaming effect (sometimes called Doppler boosting), which increases (decreases) the brightness of any light source approaching (receding from) the observer, enabling a prediction of the stellar Doppler radial-velocity (RV) modulation from its precise photometry. The BEER algorithm identifies the BEaming periodic modulation, with a combination of the well-known Ellipsoidal and Reflection/heating periodic effects, induced by short-period companions. The seven detections weremore » confirmed by spectroscopic RV follow-up observations, indicating minimum secondary masses in the range 0.07-0.4 M{sub Sun }. The binaries discovered establish for the first time the feasibility of the BEER algorithm as a new detection method for short-period non-eclipsing binaries, with the potential to detect in the near future non-transiting brown-dwarf secondaries, or even massive planets.« less

Genomic Analyses Reveal Demographic History and Temperate Adaptation of the Newly Discovered Honey Bee Subspecies Apis mellifera sinisxinyuan n. ssp

PubMed Central

Chen, Chao; Liu, Zhiguang; Pan, Qi; Chen, Xiao; Wang, Huihua; Guo, Haikun; Liu, Shidong; Lu, Hongfeng; Tian, Shilin; Li, Ruiqiang; Shi, Wei

2016-01-01

Studying the genetic signatures of climate-driven selection can produce insights into local adaptation and the potential impacts of climate change on populations. The honey bee (Apis mellifera) is an interesting species to study local adaptation because it originated in tropical/subtropical climatic regions and subsequently spread into temperate regions. However, little is known about the genetic basis of its adaptation to temperate climates. Here, we resequenced the whole genomes of ten individual bees from a newly discovered population in temperate China and downloaded resequenced data from 35 individuals from other populations. We found that the new population is an undescribed subspecies in the M-lineage of A. mellifera (Apis mellifera sinisxinyuan). Analyses of population history show that long-term global temperature has strongly influenced the demographic history of A. m. sinisxinyuan and its divergence from other subspecies. Further analyses comparing temperate and tropical populations identified several candidate genes related to fat body and the Hippo signaling pathway that are potentially involved in adaptation to temperate climates. Our results provide insights into the demographic history of the newly discovered A. m. sinisxinyuan, as well as the genetic basis of adaptation of A. mellifera to temperate climates at the genomic level. These findings will facilitate the selective breeding of A. mellifera to improve the survival of overwintering colonies. PMID:26823447

Evaluation of Two Commercial Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay Kits for the Detection of Human Circulating Metrnl.

PubMed

Zheng, Si-Li; Li, Zhi-Yong; Zhang, Zheng; Wang, Dong-Sheng; Xu, Jian; Miao, Chao-Yu

2018-04-01

Metrnl is a newly discovered secreted protein with neurotrophic activity and metabolic effect, while in earlier studies its circulating level in human was not explored. We evaluated two commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits (DY7867-05, R&D Systems and SK00478-02, Aviscera Bioscience) for the detection of human circulating Metrnl. The DY7867-05 kit showed superiority over the SK00478-02 kit since it generated better curve fitting degree, smaller variation among tests, higher inter-assay reproducibility and better specificity, and could effectively detect human Metrnl in six types of blood samples. Subsequent analysis was performed using the DY7867-05 kit. Sample storage conditions were investigated. No gender difference in circulating Metrnl levels was found, while people with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) had significantly lower Metrnl levels compared to the healthy controls.

Chandra Observations of Three Newly Discovered Quadruply Gravitationally Lensed Quasars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pooley, David

2017-09-01

Our previous work has shown the unique power of Chandra observations of quadruply gravitationally lensed quasars to address several fundamental astrophysical issues. We have used these observations to (1) determine the cause of flux ratio anomalies, (2) measure the sizes of quasar accretion disks, (3) determine the dark matter content of the lensing galaxies, and (4) measure the stellar mass-to-light ratio (in fact, this is the only way to measure the stellar mass-to-light ratio beyond the solar neighborhood). In all cases, the main source of uncertainty in our results is the small size of the sample of known quads; only 15 systems are available for study with Chandra. We propose Chandra observations of three newly discovered quads, increasing the sample size by 20%

Goblet Cells of the Conjunctiva: A Review of Recent Findings

PubMed Central

Gipson, Ilene K

2016-01-01

Goblet cells within the conjunctival epithelium are specialized cells that secrete mucins onto the surface of the eye. Recent research has demonstrated new characteristics of the cells, including factors influencing their differentiation, their gene products and their functions at the ocular surface. The following review summarizes the newly discovered aspects of the role of Spdef, a member of the Ets transcription factor family in conjunctival goblet cell differentiation, the newly discovered goblet cell products including claudin2, the Wnt inhibitor Frzb, and the transmembrane mucin Muc16. The current concepts of conjunctival goblet cell function, including debris removal and immune surveillance are reviewed, as are changes in the goblet cell population in ocular surface diseases. Major remaining questions regarding conjunctival cell biology are discussed. PMID:27091323

Cloning and heterologous expression of a novel subgroup of class IV polyhydroxyalkanoate synthase genes from the genus Bacillus.

PubMed

Mizuno, Kouhei; Kihara, Takahiro; Tsuge, Takeharu; Lundgren, Benjamin R; Sarwar, Zaara; Pinto, Atahualpa; Nomura, Christopher T

2017-01-01

Many microorganisms harbor genes necessary to synthesize biodegradable plastics known as polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs). We surveyed a genomic database and discovered a new cluster of class IV PHA synthase genes (phaRC). These genes are different in sequence and operon structure from any previously reported PHA synthase. The newly discovered PhaRC synthase was demonstrated to produce PHAs in recombinant Escherichia coli.

43 CFR 3809.431 - When must I modify my plan of operations?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... impacts from unanticipated events or conditions or newly discovered circumstances or information... units; (6) Providing for post-closure management; and (7) Eliminating hazards to public safety. ...

43 CFR 3809.431 - When must I modify my plan of operations?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... impacts from unanticipated events or conditions or newly discovered circumstances or information... units; (6) Providing for post-closure management; and (7) Eliminating hazards to public safety. ...

Exploring the extremely low surface brightness sky: distances to 23 newly discovered objects in Dragonfly fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Dokkum, Pieter

2016-10-01

We are obtaining deep, wide field images of nearby galaxies with the Dragonfly Telephoto Array. This telescope is optimized for low surface brightness imaging, and we are finding many low surface brightness objects in the Dragonfly fields. In Cycle 22 we obtained ACS imaging for 7 galaxies that we had discovered in a Dragonfly image of the galaxy M101. Unexpectedly, the ACS data show that only 3 of the galaxies are members of the M101 group, and the other 4 are very large Ultra Diffuse Galaxies (UDGs) at much greater distance. Building on our Cycle 22 program, here we request ACS imaging for 23 newly discovered low surface brightness objects in four Dragonfly fields centered on the galaxies NGC 1052, NGC 1084, NGC 3384, and NGC 4258. The immediate goals are to construct the satellite luminosity functions in these four fields and to constrain the number density of UDGs that are not in rich clusters. More generally, this complete sample of extremely low surface brightness objects provides the first systematic insight into galaxies whose brightness peaks at >25 mag/arcsec^2.

Understanding human impact on the Baltic ecosystem: changing views in recent decades.

PubMed

Elmgren, R

2001-08-01

Grave environmental problems, including contamination of biota by organochlorines and heavy metals, and increasing deep-water oxygen deficiency, were discovered in the Baltic Sea in the late 1960s. Toxic pollutants, including the newly discovered PCB, were initially seen as the main threat to the Baltic ecosystem, and the impaired reproduction found in Baltic seals and white-tailed eagles implied a threat also to human fish eaters. Countermeasures gradually gave results, and today the struggle to limit toxic pollution of the Baltic is an international environmental success story. Calculations showed that Baltic deep-water oxygen consumption must have increased, and that the Baltic nutrient load had grown about fourfold for nitrogen and 8 times for phosphorus. Evidence of increased organic production at all trophic levels in the ecosystem gradually accumulated. Phosphorus was first thought to limit Baltic primary production, but measurements soon showed that nitrogen is generally limiting in the open Baltic proper, except for nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria. Today, the debate is concerned with whether phosphorus, by limiting nitrogen-fixers, can control open-sea ecosystem production, even where phytoplankton is clearly nitrogen limited. The Baltic lesson teaches us that our views of newly discovered environmental problems undergo repeated changes, and that it may take decades for scientists to agree on their causes. Once society decides on countermeasures, it may take decades for them to become effective, and for nature to recover. Thus, environmental management decisions can hardly wait for scientific certainty. We should therefore view environmental management decisions as experiments, to be monitored, learned from, and then modified as needed.

Discovery of Benzofuran Derivatives that Collaborate with Insulin-Like Growth Factor 1 (IGF-1) to Promote Neuroprotection.

PubMed

Wakabayashi, Takeshi; Tokunaga, Norihito; Tokumaru, Kazuyuki; Ohra, Taiichi; Koyama, Nobuyuki; Hayashi, Satoru; Yamada, Ryuji; Shirasaki, Mikio; Inui, Yoshitaka; Tsukamoto, Tetsuya

2016-05-26

A series of benzofuran derivatives with neuroprotective activity in collaboration with IGF-1 was discovered using a newly developed cell-based assay involving primary neural cells prepared from rat hippocampal and cerebral cortical tissues. A structure-activity relationship study identified compound 8 as exhibiting potent activity and brain penetrability. An in vitro pharmacological study demonstrated that although IGF-1 and 8 individually exhibited the neuroprotective effect, the latter acted in collaboration with IGF-1 to enhance neuroprotective activity.

ARC-2013-ACD13-0061-007

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-04-18

Kepler News Briefing, held in the Syvertson auditorium at the NASA Ames Research Center. The briefing presented discoveries from the continuing Kepler mission (K2). The team discovered some of the smallest planets found in the habitable zone of two newly discovered planetary systems. Bill Borucki (left), Kepler Scientist, Principal Investigator, NASA Ames Lisa Kaltengger (right), Research Group Leader, Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, Heidelberg Germany and Research Associate, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge Massachusetts.

Planetary Taxonomy: Label Round Bodies "Worlds"

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Margot, Jean-Luc; Levison, H. F.

2009-05-01

The classification of planetary bodies is as important to Astronomy as taxonomy is to other sciences. The etymological, historical, and IAU definitions of planet rely on a dynamical criterion, but some authors prefer a geophysical criterion based on "roundness". Although the former criterion is superior when it comes to classifying newly discovered objects, the conflict need not exist if we agree to identify the subset of "round" planetary objects as "worlds". This addition to the taxonomy would conveniently recognize that "round" objects such as Earth, Europa, Titan, Triton, and Pluto share some common planetary-type processes regardless of their distance from the host star. Some of these worlds are planets, others are not. Defining how round is round and handling the inevitable transition objects are non-trivial tasks. Because images at sufficient resolution are not available for the overwhelming majority of newly discovered objects, the degree of roundness is not a directly observable property and is inherently problematic as a basis for classification. We can tolerate some uncertainty in establishing the "world" status of a newly discovered object, and still establish its planet or satellite status with existing dynamical criteria. Because orbital parameters are directly observable, and because mass can often be measured either from orbital perturbations or from the presence of companions, the dynamics provide a robust and practical planet classification scheme. It may also be possible to determine which bodies are dynamically dominant from observations of the population magnitude/size distribution.

Genomic Analyses Reveal Demographic History and Temperate Adaptation of the Newly Discovered Honey Bee Subspecies Apis mellifera sinisxinyuan n. ssp.

PubMed

Chen, Chao; Liu, Zhiguang; Pan, Qi; Chen, Xiao; Wang, Huihua; Guo, Haikun; Liu, Shidong; Lu, Hongfeng; Tian, Shilin; Li, Ruiqiang; Shi, Wei

2016-05-01

Studying the genetic signatures of climate-driven selection can produce insights into local adaptation and the potential impacts of climate change on populations. The honey bee (Apis mellifera) is an interesting species to study local adaptation because it originated in tropical/subtropical climatic regions and subsequently spread into temperate regions. However, little is known about the genetic basis of its adaptation to temperate climates. Here, we resequenced the whole genomes of ten individual bees from a newly discovered population in temperate China and downloaded resequenced data from 35 individuals from other populations. We found that the new population is an undescribed subspecies in the M-lineage of A. mellifera (Apis mellifera sinisxinyuan). Analyses of population history show that long-term global temperature has strongly influenced the demographic history of A. m. sinisxinyuan and its divergence from other subspecies. Further analyses comparing temperate and tropical populations identified several candidate genes related to fat body and the Hippo signaling pathway that are potentially involved in adaptation to temperate climates. Our results provide insights into the demographic history of the newly discovered A. m. sinisxinyuan, as well as the genetic basis of adaptation of A. mellifera to temperate climates at the genomic level. These findings will facilitate the selective breeding of A. mellifera to improve the survival of overwintering colonies. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution.

Network topological analysis reveals the functional cohesiveness for the newly discovered links by Yeast 2 Hybrid approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghiassian, Susan; Pevzner, Sam; Rolland, Thomas; Tassan, Murat; Barabasi, Albert Laszlo; Vidal, Mark; CCNR, Northeastern University Collaboration; Dana Farber Cancer Institute Collaboration

2014-03-01

Protein-protein interaction maps and interactomes are the blueprint of Network Medicine and systems biology and are being experimentally studied by different groups. Despite the wide usage of Literature Curated Interactome (LCI), these sources are biased towards different parameters such as highly studied proteins. Yeast two hybrid method is a high throughput experimental setup which screens proteins in an unbiased fashion. Current knowledge of protein interactions is far from complete. In fact the previous offered data from Y2H method (2005), is estimated to offer only 5% of all potential protein interactions. Currently this coverage has increased to 20% of what is known as reference HI In this work we study the topological properties of Y2H protein-protein interactions network with LCI and show although they both agree on some properties, LCI shows a clear unbiased nature of interaction selections. Most importantly, we assess the properties of PPI as it evolves with increasing the coverage. We show that, the newly discovered interactions tend to connect proteins that have been closer than average in the previous PPI release. reinforcing the modular structure of PPI. Furthermore, we show, some unseen effects on PPI (as opposed to LCI) can be explained by its incompleteness.

Swift Multi-wavelength Observing Campaigns: Strategies and Outcomes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Krimm, Hans A.

2007-01-01

The Swift gamma-ray burst explorer has been operating since December 2004 as both a gamma-ray burst (GRB) monitor and telescope and a multi-wavelength observatory, covering the energy range from V band and near UV to hard X rays above 150 keV. It is designed to rapidly repoint to observe newly discovered GRBs, and this maneuverability, combined with an easily changed observing program, allows Swift to also be an effective multiwavelength observatory for non-GRB targets, both as targets of opportunity and pre-planned multi-wavelength observing campaigns. Blazars are particularly attractive targets for coordinated campaigns with TeV experiments since many blazars are bright in both the hard X-ray and TeV energy ranges. Successful coordinated campaigns have included observations of 3C454.3 during its 2005 outburst. The latest Swift funding cycles allow for non- GRB related observations to be proposed. The Burst Alert Telescope on Swift also serves as a hard X-ray monitor with a public web page that includes light curves for over 400 X-ray sources and is used to alert the astronomical community about increased activity from both known and newly discovered sources. This presentation mill include Swift capabilities, strategies and policies for coordinated multi-wavelength observations as well as discussion of the potential outcomes of such campaigns.

48 CFR 9.406-4 - Period of debarment.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

...-Free Workplace Act of 1988 (see 23.506) may be for a period not to exceed 5 years; and (ii) Debarments..., upon the contractor's request, supported by documentation, for reasons such as— (1) Newly discovered...

Leafhopper viral pathogens

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Four newly discovered viral pathogens in leafhopper vectors of Pierce’s disease of grapes, have been shown to replicate in sharpshooter leafhoppers; the glassy-winged sharpshooter, GWSS, Homalodisca vitripennis, and Oncometopia nigricans (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae). The viruses were classified as memb...

22 CFR 16.14 - Reconsideration of a grievance.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... Reconsideration of a grievance. A grievant whose grievance is found not to be meritorious by the Board may obtain reconsideration by the Board only upon presenting newly discovered or previously unavailable material evidence not...

33 CFR 1.07-80 - Reopening of hearings.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

..., if not, why the newly found evidence could not have been discovered in the exercise of due diligence... diligence, produced at the hearing. The decision is rendered in writing. (f) Following a denial of a...

Isotope effect on electron-phonon interaction in the multiband superconductor MgB 2

DOE PAGES

Mou, Daixiang; Manni, Soham; Taufour, Valentin; ...

2016-04-07

We investigate the effect of isotope substitution on the electron-phonon interaction in the multiband superconductor MgB 2 using tunable laser-based angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. The kink structure around 70 meV in the σ band, which is caused by electron coupling to the E 2g phonon mode, is shifted to higher binding energy by ~3.5 meV in Mg 10B 2 and the shift is not affected by superconducting transition. Furthermore, these results serve as the benchmark for investigations of isotope effects in known, unconventional superconductors and newly discovered superconductors where the origin of pairing is unknown.

Do prehospital discharge pacemaker checks provide any additional clinical benefit?

PubMed

Wheelan, Kevin R; Legge, Darlene M; Sakowski, Brent C; Bruce, Susan S; Roberts, David C; Johnston, L Murphy; Moore, B Jane; Beveridge, Thomas P; Wells, Peter J; Vallabahn, Ravi; Donsky, Michael S; Franklin, Jay O

2005-08-01

We performed a retrospective analysis of 250 records of consecutive, newly implanted, pacemaker patients from a single center to determine the rate of postimplant complications and observations discovered before and during the prehospital discharge evaluation. No observations occurred in 246 of 250 patients (98.4%) (1-sided 95% confidence interval 96.4%). Of the 250 patients, 4 had observations that were discovered at the prehospital discharge check and required reprogramming to increase the sensitivity safety margin (3 atrial and 1 ventricular). We documented only 1 complication that was discovered before the predischarge evaluation through telemetry and resulted in an atrial lead revision.

Newly discovered Wolf-Rayet and weak emission-line central stars of planetary nebulae

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

DePew, K.; Parker, Q. A.; Miszalski, B.; De Marco, O.; Frew, D. J.; Acker, A.; Kovacevic, A. V.; Sharp, R. G.

2011-07-01

We present the spectra of 32 previously unpublished confirmed and candidate Wolf-Rayet ([WR]) and weak emission-line (WELS) central stars of planetary nebulae (CSPNe). 18 stars have been discovered in the Macquarie/AAO/Strasbourg Hα (MASH) PN survey sample, and we have also uncovered 14 confirmed and candidate [WR]s and WELS among the CSPNe of previously known PNe. Spectral classifications have been undertaken using both Acker & Neiner and Crowther, De Marco & Barlow schemes. 22 members in this sample are identified as probable [WR]s; the remaining 10 appear to be WELS. Observations undertaken as part of the MASH spectroscopic survey have now increased the number of known [WR]s by ˜30 per cent. This will permit a better analysis of [WR] subclass distribution, metallicity effects and evolutionary sequences in these uncommon objects.

Swift J1658.2-4242: Possible pulsar periodicity detected

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kennea, J. A.

2018-02-01

We report on analysis of all the current Windowed Timing mode data taken on the newly discovered Galactic Transient, Swift J1658.2-4242 (GCN #22416, GCN #22417, GCN #22419, ATEL #11310, ATEL #11306, ATEL #11307).

Explosive Deep Sea Volcanism Produces Composite Volcanoes (Stratocones) with Predominantly Diffuse Flow Hydrothermal Ecosystems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rubin, K. H.; Chadwick, W. C.; Embley, R. W.; Butterfield, D. A.

2018-05-01

Newly-discovered extensive explosive deep sea volcanism produces distinct stratovolcano structures and physical rock characteristics, and host primarily diffuse flow hydrothermal activity, unlike focused flow systems at effusive submarine volcanoes.

First orbital solution and evolutionary state for the newly discovered eclipsing binaries USNO-B1.0 1091-0130715 and GSC-03449-0680

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elkhateeb, M. M.; Nouh, M. I.; Nelson, R. H.

2015-02-01

A first photometric study for the newly discovered systems USNO-B1.0 1091-0130715 and GSC-03449-0680 was carried out by means of recent a windows interface version of the Wilson and Devinney code based on model atmospheres by Kurucz (1993). The accepted models reveal some absolute parameters for both systems, which are used in deriving the spectral type of the system components and their evolutionary status. Distances to each systems and physical properties were estimated. Comparisons of the computed physical parameters with stellar models are discussed. The components of the system USNO-B1.0 1091-0130715 and the primary of the system GSC-03449-0680 are found to be on or near the ZAMS track, while the secondary of GSC-03449-0680 system found to be severely under luminous and too cool compared to its ZAMS mass.

Michael Maier--nine newly discovered letters.

PubMed

Lenke, Nils; Roudet, Nicolas; Tilton, Hereward

2014-02-01

The authors provide a transcription, translation, and evaluation of nine newly discovered letters from the alchemist Michael Maier (1568-1622) to Gebhardt Johann von Alvensleben (1576-1631), a noble landholder in the vicinity of Magdeburg. Stemming from the final year of his life, this correspondence casts new light on Maier's biography, detailing his efforts to secure patronage amid the financial crisis of the early Thirty Years' War. While his ill-fated quest to perfect potable gold continued to form the central focus of his patronage suits, Maier also offered his services in several arts that he had condemned in his printed works, namely astrology and "supernatural" magic. Remarks concerning his previously unknown acquaintance with Heinrich Khunrath call for a re-evaluation of Maier's negotiation of the discursive boundaries between Lutheran orthodoxy and Paracelsianism. The letters also reveal Maier's substantial contribution to a work previously ascribed solely to the English alchemist Francis Anthony.

Extensive diversity and evolution of hepadnaviruses in bats in China.

PubMed

Nie, Fang-Yuan; Lin, Xian-Dan; Hao, Zong-Yu; Chen, Xiao-Nan; Wang, Zhao-Xiao; Wang, Miao-Ruo; Wu, Jun; Wang, Hong-Wei; Zhao, Guoqiang; Ma, Runlin Z; Holmes, Edward C; Zhang, Yong-Zhen

2018-01-15

To better understand the evolution of hepadnaviruses, we sampled bats from Guizhou, Henan and Zhejiang provinces, China, and rodents from Zhejiang province. Genetically diverse hepadnaviruses were identified in a broad range of bat species, with an overall prevalence of 13.3%. In contrast, no rodent hepadnaviruses were identified. The newly discovered bat hepadnaviruses fell into two distinct phylogenetic groups. The viruses within the first group exhibited high diversity, with some closely related to viruses previously identified in Yunnan province. Strikingly, the newly discovered viruses sampled from Jiyuan city in the second phylogenetic group were most closely related to those found in bats from West Africa, suggestive of a long-term association between bats and hepadnaviruses. A co-phylogenetic analysis revealed frequent cross-species transmission among bats from different species, genera, and families. Overall, these data suggest that there are likely few barriers to the cross-species transmission of bat hepadnaviruses. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Method of determining the orbits of the small bodies in the solar system based on an exhaustive search of orbital planes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bondarenko, Yu. S.; Vavilov, D. E.; Medvedev, Yu. D.

2014-05-01

A universal method of determining the orbits of newly discovered small bodies in the Solar System using their positional observations has been developed. The proposed method suggests determining geocentric distances of a small body by means of an exhaustive search for heliocentric orbital planes and subsequent determination of the distance between the observer and the points at which the chosen plane intersects with the vectors pointing to the object. Further, the remaining orbital elements are determined using the classical Gauss method after eliminating those heliocentric distances that have a fortiori low probabilities. The obtained sets of elements are used to determine the rms between the observed and calculated positions. The sets of elements with the least rms are considered to be most probable for newly discovered small bodies. Afterwards, these elements are improved using the differential method.

Ebolaviruses: New roles for old proteins.

PubMed

Cantoni, Diego; Rossman, Jeremy S

2018-05-01

In 2014, the world witnessed the largest Ebolavirus outbreak in recorded history. The subsequent humanitarian effort spurred extensive research, significantly enhancing our understanding of ebolavirus replication and pathogenicity. The main functions of each ebolavirus protein have been studied extensively since the discovery of the virus in 1976; however, the recent expansion of ebolavirus research has led to the discovery of new protein functions. These newly discovered roles are revealing new mechanisms of virus replication and pathogenicity, whilst enhancing our understanding of the broad functions of each ebolavirus viral protein (VP). Many of these new functions appear to be unrelated to the protein's primary function during virus replication. Such new functions range from bystander T-lymphocyte death caused by VP40-secreted exosomes to new roles for VP24 in viral particle formation. This review highlights the newly discovered roles of ebolavirus proteins in order to provide a more encompassing view of ebolavirus replication and pathogenicity.

Ebolaviruses: New roles for old proteins

PubMed Central

2018-01-01

In 2014, the world witnessed the largest Ebolavirus outbreak in recorded history. The subsequent humanitarian effort spurred extensive research, significantly enhancing our understanding of ebolavirus replication and pathogenicity. The main functions of each ebolavirus protein have been studied extensively since the discovery of the virus in 1976; however, the recent expansion of ebolavirus research has led to the discovery of new protein functions. These newly discovered roles are revealing new mechanisms of virus replication and pathogenicity, whilst enhancing our understanding of the broad functions of each ebolavirus viral protein (VP). Many of these new functions appear to be unrelated to the protein’s primary function during virus replication. Such new functions range from bystander T-lymphocyte death caused by VP40-secreted exosomes to new roles for VP24 in viral particle formation. This review highlights the newly discovered roles of ebolavirus proteins in order to provide a more encompassing view of ebolavirus replication and pathogenicity. PMID:29723187

"Old drugs" for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis: will the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway and anti-nociceptive pathway work?

PubMed

Pan, Xiaohua; Yu, Xiaowei; Qin, Ling; Zhang, Peng

2010-12-01

Based on the newly discovered cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway, on the anti-nociceptive pathway and on our preliminary research, we raise a new strategy for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) which mainly focuses on the application of old drugs that can activate both of the above mentioned pathways. It has been reported that nicotinic receptor agonists used for the treatment of neurological diseases were expected to be applied to the therapy of inflammatory diseases (RA). Therefore, it is promising that old drugs available in clinics may exert new functions for the treatment of RA, which may greatly reduce the expense of such treatment, once applied. These currently-used old drugs should be considered as another new resource in exploring anti-rheumatic agents under the guidance of the newly discovered cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway and the anti-nociceptive pathway.

Decoding sORF translation - from small proteins to gene regulation.

PubMed

Cabrera-Quio, Luis Enrique; Herberg, Sarah; Pauli, Andrea

2016-11-01

Translation is best known as the fundamental mechanism by which the ribosome converts a sequence of nucleotides into a string of amino acids. Extensive research over many years has elucidated the key principles of translation, and the majority of translated regions were thought to be known. The recent discovery of wide-spread translation outside of annotated protein-coding open reading frames (ORFs) came therefore as a surprise, raising the intriguing possibility that these newly discovered translated regions might have unrecognized protein-coding or gene-regulatory functions. Here, we highlight recent findings that provide evidence that some of these newly discovered translated short ORFs (sORFs) encode functional, previously missed small proteins, while others have regulatory roles. Based on known examples we will also speculate about putative additional roles and the potentially much wider impact that these translated regions might have on cellular homeostasis and gene regulation.

Screening the receptorome to discover the molecular targets for plant-derived psychoactive compounds: a novel approach for CNS drug discovery.

PubMed

Roth, Bryan L; Lopez, Estela; Beischel, Scott; Westkaemper, Richard B; Evans, Jon M

2004-05-01

Because psychoactive plants exert profound effects on human perception, emotion, and cognition, discovering the molecular mechanisms responsible for psychoactive plant actions will likely yield insights into the molecular underpinnings of human consciousness. Additionally, it is likely that elucidation of the molecular targets responsible for psychoactive drug actions will yield validated targets for CNS drug discovery. This review article focuses on an unbiased, discovery-based approach aimed at uncovering the molecular targets responsible for psychoactive drug actions wherein the main active ingredients of psychoactive plants are screened at the "receptorome" (that portion of the proteome encoding receptors). An overview of the receptorome is given and various in silico, public-domain resources are described. Newly developed tools for the in silico mining of data derived from the National Institute of Mental Health Psychoactive Drug Screening Program's (NIMH-PDSP) K(i) Database (K(i) DB) are described in detail. Additionally, three case studies aimed at discovering the molecular targets responsible for Hypericum perforatum, Salvia divinorum, and Ephedra sinica actions are presented. Finally, recommendations are made for future studies.

Relativistic Astrophysics in Black Hole and Low-Mass Neutron Star Binaries LTSA98

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cui, Wei

2000-01-01

My group, in close collaboration with Dr. Zhang's group at University of Alabama-Huntsville, have been systematically analyzing and re-analyzing a substantial amount of archival data from previous and ongoing X-ray missions, in order to study possible relativistic effects around stellar-mass black holes and neutron stars. Our effort has been focused primarily on the data from the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer. We carefully studied interesting quasi-periodic X-ray variability in newly discovered black hole candidates (XTE J1859+226 and XTE J1550-564), which, as we had proposed earlier, could be caused by general relativistic process (e.g., frame dragging) around the central black hole. We also discovered an intriguing temporal correlation between X-ray photons at different energies that is associated with the quasi-periodic signals of interest. The results provided new insights into the physical origin of the phenomena. Furthermore, we studied the spectral lines of black hole candidates which provide another avenue for studying general relativistic processes around black holes. The lines-may originate in the relativistic jets (which could be powered by the spin of the black hole) or in the disk around the black hole, as in the cases of 4U 1630-47 and GX 339-4 (two well-known black hole candidates), and may thus be distorted or shifted due to relativistic effects. Of course, neutron star systems were not forgotten either. After examining the properties of newly discovered fast quasi-periodic variability (at kiloHertz) associated with such systems, we proposed a relativistic model to explain the origin of the signals. We have also started to use new great observatories in orbit (such as Chandra and XMM-Newton) to observe the sources that are of interest to us. Finally, interesting results were also been obtained from our collaborations with other groups who are interested in some of the same objects. Such collaborative efforts have greatly enhanced the project and will likely continue in the future.

Symposium on Using Mechanics to Discover New Materials. Annual Technical Meeting of the Society of Engineering Science (45th) held in Urbana-Champaign, Illinois on 12-15 October 2008

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-12-21

celled Nitinol has recently become possiblevia a (newly discovered by Profs. D. Grummon at Michigan State Univ. and J.Shaw at Univ. of Michigan...transient-liquid reactive brazing system for creating robust metallurgical Nitinol Nitinol bonds. With this technique, prototype sparse cellularhoneycomb...Brian.Berg@bsci.com Nitinol has become a frequently used medical implant material despite its notorious complexity; especiallywith respect to fatigue [1

FIRST PHOTOMETRIC INVESTIGATION OF THE NEWLY DISCOVERED W UMa-TYPE BINARY STAR MR Com

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

Qian, S.-B.; Liu, N.-P.; Liao, W.-P.

By analyzing multi-color light curves of the newly discovered W UMa-type binary, MR Com, we discovered that it is a shallow-contact binary with a degree of contact factor of f = 10.0% {+-} 2.1%. Photometric solutions reveal that MR Com is a W-type system with a mass ratio of q = 3.9 where the less massive component is about 90 K hotter than the more massive one. By investigating all of the available times of minimum light, we found that the general trend of the Observed-Calculated (O - C) curve shows a downward parabolic variation while it undergoes a cyclicmore » variation with a small amplitude of 0.0031 days and a period of 10.1 yr. The downward parabolic change corresponds to a long-term decrease in the orbital period at a rate of P-dot = -5.3 x 10{sup -7} days yr{sup -1} that may be caused by a combination of a mass transfer and an angular momentum loss (AML) via magnetic braking. Among the 16 shallow-contact systems with a decreasing orbital period, MR Com has the lowest mass ratio (e.g., 1/q = 0.26). The shallow-contact configuration, the low-mass ratio, and the long-term period decrease all suggest that systems similar to MR Com are on the AML-controlled stage of the evolutionary scheme proposed by Qian. They will oscillate around a critical mass ratio and evolve into a deep contact with a higher mass ratio. The small-amplitude cyclic change in the O - C curve was analyzed for the light-travel time effect via the presence of an extremely cool stellar companion.« less

Swift J1658.2-4242 as observed by AstroSat LAXPC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beri, Aru; Belloni, Tomaso; Vincentelli, Federico; Gandhi, Poshak; Altamirano, Diego

2018-03-01

We report on preliminary analysis of an AstroSat observation of the newly discovered X-ray transient, Swift J1658.2-4242 [J1658] (GCN #22416, #22417, #22419; ATel #11306, #11307, #11310, #11311, #11318, #11321, #11336).

Trichoderma stromaticum and its overseas relatives

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Trichoderma stromaticum, T. rossicum and newly discovered species form a new lineage in Trichoderma. Phylogenetic and phenotypic diversity in Trichoderma stromaticum are examined in light of reported differences in ecological parameters and AFLP patterns. Multilocus phylogenetic analysis using 4 gen...

In Vino, Veritas.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Negin, Gary A.

1993-01-01

While reminiscing over wine and granola bars, some elementary teacher-survivors from the sixties pondered timeless teaching truths newly "discovered" by education reformers, including authentic assessment, cooperative learning, a national curriculum, and brain-compatible learning. Reformers are insensitive to realistic classroom contexts when…

Europa Active Surface

NASA Image and Video Library

1997-09-07

On June 27, 1996, during Galileo first orbit around Jupiter, a newly discovered impact crater could be seen just right of the center of this image of Jupiter moon Europa returned by NASA Galileo spacecraft camera. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA00294

DNA Photolithography with Cinnamate Crosslinkers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Feng, Lang (Inventor); Chaikin, Paul Michael (Inventor)

2016-01-01

The present invention relates generally to cinnamate crosslinkers. Specifically, the present invention relates to gels, biochips, and functionalized surfaces useful as probes, in assays, in gels, and for drug delivery, and methods of making the same using a newly-discovered crosslinking configuration.

ARC-2012-ACD12-0022-007

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-02-02

Kepler Program VIP's from left Natalie Batalha, Bill Borucki and Jon Jenkins in front of a NASA Ames Hyperwall display of newly discovered planet K-22B art at the NAS (NASA Advanced Supercomputing) Facility, Moffett Field, CA (for aviation week)

CO2-Binding-Organic-Liquids-Enhanced CO2 Capture using Polarity-Swing-Assisted Regeneration

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

Zhang, Jian; Kutnyakov, Igor; Koech, Phillip K.

A new solvent-based CO2 capture process couples the unique attributes of non-aqueous, CO2-binding organic liquids (CO2BOLs) with the newly discovered polarity-swing-assisted regeneration (PSAR) process that is unique to switchable ionic liquids. Laboratory measurements with PSAR indicate the ability to achieve a regeneration effect at 75°C comparable to that at 120°C using thermal regeneration only. Initial measurements also indicate that the kinetic behavior of CO2 release is also improved with PSAR. Abstract cleared PNWD-SA-9743

Towards The Exo-Earth Era

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Horner, J.

2017-09-01

In the past few years, the number of planets discovered orbiting other stars has grown dramatically, and newly discovered planets are now announced on an almost daily basis. In this presentation, I will describe how simulations of the orbital evolution of such planets can help us to better constrain their orbits, and even allow us to identify systems that are not all they seem to be. In addition, in coming years it is likely that the first truly Earth-like exoplanets will be discovered, and I will describe how those same dynamical tools will prove vital in assessing which of those planets are the most promising targets in the search for life beyond the Solar system.

Sulfonamide inhibition studies of the β-carbonic anhydrase from the newly discovered bacterium Enterobacter sp. B13.

PubMed

Eminoğlu, Ayşenur; Vullo, Daniela; Aşık, Aycan; Çolak, Dilşat Nigar; Çanakçı, Sabriye; Beldüz, Ali Osman; Supuran, Claudiu T

2016-04-01

The genome of the newly identified bacterium Enterobacter sp. B13 encodes for a β-class carbonic anhydrases (CAs, EC 4.2.1.1), EspCA. This enzyme was recently cloned, and characterized kinetically by this group (J. Enzyme Inhib. Med. Chem. 2016, 31). Here we report an inhibition study with sulfonamides and sulfamates of this enzyme. The best EspCA inhibitors were some sulfanylated sulfonamides with elongated molecules, metanilamide, 4-aminoalkyl-benzenesulfonamides, acetazolamide, and deacetylated methazolamide (KIs in the range of 58.7-96.5nM). Clinically used agents such as methazolamide, ethoxzolamide, dorzolamide, brinzolamide, benzolamide, zonisamide, sulthiame, sulpiride, topiramate and valdecoxib were slightly less effective inhibitors (KIs in the range of 103-138nM). Saccharin, celecoxib, dichlorophenamide and many simple benzenesulfonamides were even less effective as EspCA inhibitors, with KIs in the range of 384-938nM. Identification of effective inhibitors of this bacterial enzyme may lead to pharmacological tools useful for understanding the physiological role(s) of the β-class CAs in bacterial pathogenicity/virulence. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Survey for the newly discovered Dan spinymussel in the Dan, Mayo, and South Mayo Rivers, Virginia.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2005-01-01

Three spined, mussel species occur in the United States along the Atlantic slope: James spinymussel (Pleurobema collina), Tar spinymussel (Elliptio steinstansana), and Altamaha spinymussel (E. spinosa). The James spinymussel was listed as endangered ...

Denying humanness to others: a newly discovered mechanism by which violent video games increase aggressive behavior.

PubMed

Greitemeyer, Tobias; McLatchie, Neil

2011-05-01

Past research has provided abundant evidence that playing violent video games increases aggressive behavior. So far, these effects have been explained mainly as the result of priming existing knowledge structures. The research reported here examined the role of denying humanness to other people in accounting for the effect that playing a violent video game has on aggressive behavior. In two experiments, we found that playing violent video games increased dehumanization, which in turn evoked aggressive behavior. Thus, it appears that video-game-induced aggressive behavior is triggered when victimizers perceive the victim to be less human.

Long Noncoding RNAs AC009014.3 and Newly Discovered XPLAID Differentiate Aggressive and Indolent Prostate Cancers.

PubMed

Cesnik, Anthony J; Yang, Bing; Truong, Andrew; Etheridge, Tyler; Spiniello, Michele; Steinbrink, Maisie I; Shortreed, Michael R; Frey, Brian L; Jarrard, David F; Smith, Lloyd M

2018-06-01

The molecular mechanisms underlying aggressive versus indolent disease are not fully understood. Recent research has implicated a class of molecules known as long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in tumorigenesis and progression of cancer. Our objective was to discover lncRNAs that differentiate aggressive and indolent prostate cancers. We analyzed paired tumor and normal tissues from six aggressive Gleason score (GS) 8-10 and six indolent GS 6 prostate cancers. Extracted RNA was split for poly(A)+ and ribosomal RNA depletion library preparations, followed byRNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) using an Illumina HiSeq 2000. We developed an RNA-Seq data analysis pipeline to discover and quantify these molecules. Candidate lncRNAs were validated using RT-qPCR on 87 tumor tissue samples: 28 (GS 6), 28 (GS 3+4), 6 (GS 4+3), and 25 (GS 8-10). Statistical correlations between lncRNAs and clinicopathologic variables were tested using ANOVA. The 43 differentially expressed (DE) lncRNAs between aggressive and indolent prostate cancers included 12 annotated and 31 novel lncRNAs. The top six DE lncRNAs were selected based on large, consistent fold-changes in the RNA-Seq results. Three of these candidates passed RT-qPCR validation, including AC009014.3 (P < .001 in tumor tissue) and a newly discovered X-linked lncRNA named XPLAID (P = .049 in tumor tissue and P = .048 in normal tissue). XPLAID and AC009014.3 show promise as prognostic biomarkers. We discovered several dozen lncRNAs that distinguish aggressive and indolent prostate cancers, of which four were validated using RT-qPCR. The investigation into their biology is ongoing. Published by Elsevier Inc.

CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF NEWLY DISCOVERED IODOACID DRINKING WATER DISINFECTION BYPRODUCTS

EPA Science Inventory

Iodoacid drinking water disinfection byproducts (DBPs) were recently uncovered in drinking water samples from source water with a high bromide/iodide concentration that was disinfected with chloramines. The purpose of this paper is to report the analytical chemical identification...

26 CFR 601.106 - Appeals functions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... Director, Foreign Operations District, the Appeals office may waive jurisdiction to the director who issued... to having the case returned to the district director for reconsideration. Where newly discovered... the Assistant Commissioner (Technical), and will usually be attended by a person who has authority to...

26 CFR 601.106 - Appeals functions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... Director, Foreign Operations District, the Appeals office may waive jurisdiction to the director who issued... to having the case returned to the district director for reconsideration. Where newly discovered... the Assistant Commissioner (Technical), and will usually be attended by a person who has authority to...

26 CFR 601.106 - Appeals functions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... Director, Foreign Operations District, the Appeals office may waive jurisdiction to the director who issued... to having the case returned to the district director for reconsideration. Where newly discovered... the Assistant Commissioner (Technical), and will usually be attended by a person who has authority to...

Discovery of New Hydrothermal Activity and Chemosynthetic Fauna on the Central Indian Ridge at 18°–20°S

PubMed Central

Nakamura, Kentaro; Watanabe, Hiromi; Miyazaki, Junichi; Takai, Ken; Kawagucci, Shinsuke; Noguchi, Takuro; Nemoto, Suguru; Watsuji, Tomo-o; Matsuzaki, Takuya; Shibuya, Takazo; Okamura, Kei; Mochizuki, Masashi; Orihashi, Yuji; Ura, Tamaki; Asada, Akira; Marie, Daniel; Koonjul, Meera; Singh, Manvendra; Beedessee, Girish; Bhikajee, Mitrasen; Tamaki, Kensaku

2012-01-01

Indian Ocean hydrothermal vents are believed to represent a novel biogeographic province, and are host to many novel genera and families of animals, potentially indigenous to Indian Ocean hydrothermal systems. In particular, since its discovery in 2001, much attention has been paid to a so-called ‘scaly-foot’ gastropod because of its unique iron-sulfide-coated dermal sclerites and the chemosynthetic symbioses in its various tissues. Despite increasing interest in the faunal assemblages at Indian Ocean hydrothermal vents, only two hydrothermal vent fields have been investigated in the Indian Ocean. Here we report two newly discovered hydrothermal vent fields, the Dodo and Solitaire fields, which are located in the Central Indian Ridge (CIR) segments 16 and 15, respectively. Chemosynthetic faunal communities at the Dodo field are emaciated in size and composition. In contrast, at the Solitaire field, we observed faunal communities that potentially contained almost all genera found at CIR hydrothermal environments to date, and even identified previously unreported taxa. Moreover, a new morphotype of ‘scaly-foot’ gastropod has been found at the Solitaire field. The newly discovered ‘scaly-foot’ gastropod has similar morphological and anatomical features to the previously reported type that inhabits the Kairei field, and both types of ‘scaly-foot’ gastropods genetically belong to the same species according to analyses of their COI gene and nuclear SSU rRNA gene sequences. However, the new morphotype completely lacks an iron-sulfide coating on the sclerites, which had been believed to be a novel feature restricted to ‘scaly-foot’ gastropods. Our new findings at the two newly discovered hydrothermal vent sites provide important insights into the biodiversity and biogeography of vent-endemic ecosystems in the Indian Ocean. PMID:22431990

Newly discovered Neanderthal remains from Shanidar Cave, Iraqi Kurdistan, and their attribution to Shanidar 5.

PubMed

Pomeroy, Emma; Mirazón Lahr, Marta; Crivellaro, Federica; Farr, Lucy; Reynolds, Tim; Hunt, Chris O; Barker, Graeme

2017-10-01

The Neanderthal remains from Shanidar Cave, excavated between 1951 and 1960, have played a central role in debates concerning diverse aspects of Neanderthal morphology and behavior. In 2015 and 2016, renewed excavations at the site uncovered hominin remains from the immediate area where the partial skeleton of Shanidar 5 was found in 1960. Shanidar 5 was a robust adult male estimated to have been aged over 40 years at the time of death. Comparisons of photographs from the previous and recent excavations indicate that the old and new remains were directly adjacent to one another, while the disturbed arrangement and partial crushing of the new fossils is consistent with descriptions and photographs of the older discoveries. The newly discovered bones include fragments of several vertebrae, a left hamate, part of the proximal left femur, a heavily crushed partial pelvis, and the distal half of the right tibia and fibula and associated talus and navicular. All these elements were previously missing from Shanidar 5, and morphological and metric data are consistent with the new elements belonging to this individual. A newly discovered partial left pubic symphysis indicates an age at death of 40-50 years, also consistent with the age of Shanidar 5 estimated previously. Thus, the combined evidence strongly suggests that the new finds can be attributed to Shanidar 5. Ongoing analyses of associated samples, including for sediment morphology, palynology, and dating, will therefore offer new evidence as to how this individual was deposited in the cave and permit new analyses of the skeleton itself and broader discussion of Neanderthal morphology and variation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Nitrogen-containing bisphosphonate induces a newly discovered hematopoietic structure in the omentum of an anemic mouse model by stimulating G-CSF production.

PubMed

Otsuka, Hirotada; Yagi, Hideki; Endo, Yasuo; Soeta, Satoshi; Nonaka, Naoko; Nakamura, Masanori

2017-02-01

We previously reported that the injection of nitrogen-containing bisphosphonate (NBP) induced the site of erythropoiesis to shift from the bone marrow (BM) to the spleen. Our previous study established a severely anemic mouse model that was treated with a combination of NBP with phenylhydrazine (PHZ), which induced newly discovered hematopoietic organs in the omentum. No reports have shown that new hematopoietic organs form under any condition. We characterized the structures and factors related to the formation of these new organs. Splenectomized mice were treated with NBP to inhibit erythropoiesis in the BM and then injected with PHZ to induce hemolytic anemia. The mice showed severe anemia and wine-colored structures appeared in the omentum. Some hematopoietic cells, including megakaryocytes, and well-developed sinuses were observed in these structures. Numerous TER119-positive erythroblasts were located with cells positive for PCNA, a cell proliferation marker. C-kit-positive cells were detected and mRNAs related to hematopoiesis were expressed in these structures. Moreover, TER119-positive erythroblasts emerged and formed clusters and hematopoiesis-related factors were detected in the omentum of mice treated with NBP and PHZ. The levels of G-CSF in the serum and hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs) in the peripheral blood were increased upon treatment with both NBP and PHZ. These results suggest that the induced hematopoietic structures act as the sites of erythropoiesis and that NBP-induced G-CSF production causes HPC mobilization, homing and colonization in the omentum because they constitutively express some factors, including SDF-1; thus, the newly discovered hematopoietic structure in this study might be formed.

Natural Organohalogens: A New Frontier for Medicinal Agents?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gribble, Gordon W.

2004-01-01

Newly discovered biogenic organo halogens with an emphasis on the biologically active examples from marine organisms, bacteria, terrestrial plants and higher life forms, including humans, are focused. Organohalogen compounds represent a valuable and expanding class of natural products, in many cases boasting exceptional biological activity.

Extraordinary Oscillations of an Ordinary Forced Pendulum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Butikov, Eugene I.

2008-01-01

Several well-known and newly discovered counterintuitive regular and chaotic modes of the sinusoidally driven rigid planar pendulum are discussed and illustrated by computer simulations. The software supporting the investigation offers many interesting predefined examples that demonstrate various peculiarities of this famous physical model.…

Phytophthora ramorum and sudden oak death in California: II. transmission and survival

Treesearch

Jennifer M. Davidson; David M. Rizzo; Matteo Garbelotto; Steven Tjosvold; Garey W. Slaughter

2002-01-01

The newly discovered Phytophthora ramorum canker disease of oak (Sudden Oak Death Syndrome) threatens millions of acres of California woodlands where coast live oak (Quercus agrifolia), tanoak (Lithocarpus densiflorus), or black oak (Quercus kelloggii) are dominant species. An important step in...

Formative Assessment Probes: Representing Microscopic Life

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Keeley, Page

2011-01-01

This column focuses on promoting learning through assessment. The author discusses the formative assessment probe "Pond Water," which reveals how elementary children will often apply what they know about animal structures to newly discovered microscopic organisms, connecting their knowledge of the familiar to the unfamiliar through…

Two inositol hexakisphosphate kinases drive inositol pyrophosphate synthesis in plants

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Inositol pyrophosphates are novel cellular signaling molecules with newly discovered roles in energy sensing and metabolic control. Studies in eukaryotes have revealed that these compounds turn over rapidly, and thus only small amounts accumulate. Inositol pyrophosphates have not been the subject of...

Managing a Library Binding Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Merrill-Oldham, Jan

Library binding is one of the activities typically included in newly created preservation departments, but librarians continue to discover that transforming a traditional binding program into one that better meets preservation objectives requires considerable investment of time. This resource guide is intended to help libraries review their…

Phylogeography and genetic identification of the newly-discovered populations of torrent salamanders (Rhyacotriton cascade and R. variegatus) in the central Cascades (USA)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wagner, R.S.; Miller, Mark P.; Haig, Susan M.

2006-01-01

Newly discovered populations of Rhyacotritonidae were investigated for taxonomic identity, hybridization, and sympatry. Species in the genus Rhyacotriton have been historically difficult to identify using morphological characters. Mitochondrial (mtDNA) 16S ribosomal RNA sequences (491 bp) and allozymes (6 loci) were used to identify the distribution of populations occurring intermediate between the previously described ranges of R. variegatus and R. cascadae in the central Cascade Mountain region of Oregon. Allozyme and mitochondrial sequence data both indicated the presence of two distinct evolutionary lineages, with each lineage corresponding to the allopatric distribution of R. cascadae and R. variegatus. Results suggest the Willamette River acts as a phylogeographic barrier limiting the distribution of both species, although we cannot exclude the possibility that reproductive isolation also exists that reinforces species' distributions. This study extends the previously described geographical ranges of both R. cascadae and R. variegatus and defines an eastern range limit for R. variegatus conservation efforts.

Near-Earth Asteroid Follow-up Observations from the Astronomical Research Institute

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Linder, Tyler R.

2017-10-01

The Astronomical Research Institute (ARI) operates eight telescopes ranging in size from 0.41m to 1.3m. These telescopes are dedicated to the astrometric recovery and arc-extension of Near-Earth Asteroids (NEAs). Four telescopes are located outside Westfield, Illinois, USA (0.61, 0.76, 0.81, 1.3m) while the other four telescopes are at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (0.41, 0.61, 0.61, 1.0m).The increase in NEA discovery from PanSTARRS and Catalina Sky Survey continues to escalate the nightly demand for newly discovered NEA follow-up. ARI has developed a new protocol which allows the discovery rate to increase fivefold without the need for additional telescopes.ARI’s new secondary priority is to provide spectra and spectrophotometry observations of the brightest newly discovered NEAs. Proposed methods and procedures will be discussed so that other NEA researchers may have access to the results without a peer-reviewed delay.

Tick-Borne Pathogen – Reversed and Conventional Discovery of Disease

PubMed Central

Tijsse-Klasen, Ellen; Koopmans, Marion P. G.; Sprong, Hein

2014-01-01

Molecular methods have increased the number of known microorganisms associated with ticks significantly. Some of these newly identified microorganisms are readily linked to human disease while others are yet unknown to cause human disease. The face of tick-borne disease discovery has changed with more diseases now being discovered in a “reversed way,” detecting disease cases only years after the tick-borne microorganism was first discovered. Compared to the conventional discovery of infectious diseases, reverse order discovery presents researchers with new challenges. Estimating public health risks of such agents is especially challenging, as case definitions and diagnostic procedures may initially be missing. We discuss the advantages and shortcomings of molecular methods, serology, and epidemiological studies that might be used to study some fundamental questions regarding newly identified tick-borne diseases. With increased tick-exposure and improved detection methods, more tick-borne microorganisms will be added to the list of pathogens causing disease in humans in the future. PMID:25072045

Census of the Local Universe (CLU) Hα Galaxy Survey: Characterization of Galaxy Catalogs from Preliminary Fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cook, David O.; Kasliwal, Mansi; Van Sistine, Anglea; Kaplan, David; iPTF

2018-01-01

In this talk I introduce the Census of the Local Universe (CLU) galaxy survey. The survey uses 4 wavelength-adjacent, narrowband filters to search for emission-line (Hα) sources across ~3π (26,470 deg2) of the sky and out to distance of 200 Mpc. I will present an analysis of galaxy candidates in 14 preliminary fields (out of 3626) to assess the limits of the survey and the potential for finding new galaxies in the local Universe. We anticipate finding tens-of-thousands of new galaxies in the full ~3π survey. In addition, I present some interesting galaxies found in these fields, which include: newly discovered blue compact dwarfs (e.g., blueberries), 1 new green pea, 1 new QSO, and a known planetary nebula. The majority of the CLU galaxies show properties similar to normal star-forming galaxies; however, the newly discovered blueberries tend to have high star formation rates for their given stellar mass.

The Revolution Continues: Newly Discovered Systems Expand the CRISPR-Cas Toolkit.

PubMed

Murugan, Karthik; Babu, Kesavan; Sundaresan, Ramya; Rajan, Rakhi; Sashital, Dipali G

2017-10-05

CRISPR-Cas systems defend prokaryotes against bacteriophages and mobile genetic elements and serve as the basis for revolutionary tools for genetic engineering. Class 2 CRISPR-Cas systems use single Cas endonucleases paired with guide RNAs to cleave complementary nucleic acid targets, enabling programmable sequence-specific targeting with minimal machinery. Recent discoveries of previously unidentified CRISPR-Cas systems have uncovered a deep reservoir of potential biotechnological tools beyond the well-characterized Type II Cas9 systems. Here we review the current mechanistic understanding of newly discovered single-protein Cas endonucleases. Comparison of these Cas effectors reveals substantial mechanistic diversity, underscoring the phylogenetic divergence of related CRISPR-Cas systems. This diversity has enabled further expansion of CRISPR-Cas biotechnological toolkits, with wide-ranging applications from genome editing to diagnostic tools based on various Cas endonuclease activities. These advances highlight the exciting prospects for future tools based on the continually expanding set of CRISPR-Cas systems. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Doubled-lined eclipsing binary system KIC~2306740 with pulsating component discovered from Kepler space photometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yakut, Kadri

2015-08-01

We present a detailed study of KIC 2306740, an eccentric double-lined eclipsing binary system with a pulsating component.Archive Kepler satellite data were combined with newly obtained spectroscopic data with 4.2\\,m William Herschel Telescope(WHT). This allowed us to determine rather precise orbital and physical parameters of this long period, slightly eccentric, pulsating binary system. Duplicity effects are extracted from the light curve in order to estimate pulsation frequencies from the residuals.We modelled the detached binary system assuming non-conservative evolution models with the Cambridge STARS(TWIN) code.

Colossal permittivity materials: Doping for superior dielectrics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Homes, Christopher C.; Vogt, Thomas

2013-09-01

The search for materials with colossal permittivity for use in capacitors has been met with limited success. A newly discovered co-doped titanium oxide material has an extremely high permittivity and negligible dielectric losses, and is likely to enable further scaling in electronic and energy-storage devices.

Complete Genome Sequences of Four Novel Escherichia coli Bacteriophages Belonging to New Phage Groups

PubMed Central

Kot, Witold

2015-01-01

Here, we describe the sequencing and genome annotations of a set of four Escherichia coli bacteriophages (phages) belonging to newly discovered groups previously consisting of only a single phage and thus expand our knowledge of these phage groups. PMID:26184932

29 CFR 1904.33 - Retention and updating.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... RECORDING AND REPORTING OCCUPATIONAL INJURIES AND ILLNESSES Other OSHA Injury and Illness Recordkeeping... must update your stored OSHA 300 Logs to include newly discovered recordable injuries or illnesses and... illnesses. If the description or outcome of a case changes, you must remove or line out the original entry...

29 CFR 1904.33 - Retention and updating.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... RECORDING AND REPORTING OCCUPATIONAL INJURIES AND ILLNESSES Other OSHA Injury and Illness Recordkeeping... must update your stored OSHA 300 Logs to include newly discovered recordable injuries or illnesses and... illnesses. If the description or outcome of a case changes, you must remove or line out the original entry...

29 CFR 1904.33 - Retention and updating.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... RECORDING AND REPORTING OCCUPATIONAL INJURIES AND ILLNESSES Other OSHA Injury and Illness Recordkeeping... must update your stored OSHA 300 Logs to include newly discovered recordable injuries or illnesses and... illnesses. If the description or outcome of a case changes, you must remove or line out the original entry...

New variable stars discovered in the fields of three Galactic open clusters using the VVV survey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Palma, T.; Minniti, D.; Dékány, I.; Clariá, J. J.; Alonso-García, J.; Gramajo, L. V.; Ramírez Alegría, S.; Bonatto, C.

2016-11-01

This project is a massive near-infrared (NIR) search for variable stars in highly reddened and obscured open cluster (OC) fields projected on regions of the Galactic bulge and disk. The search is performed using photometric NIR data in the J-, H- and Ks- bands obtained from the Vista Variables in the Vía Láctea (VVV) Survey. We performed in each cluster field a variability search using Stetson's variability statistics to select the variable candidates. Later, those candidates were subjected to a frequency analysis using the Generalized Lomb-Scargle and the Phase Dispersion Minimization algorithms. The number of independent observations range between 63 and 73. The newly discovered variables in this study, 157 in total in three different known OCs, are classified based on their light curve shapes, periods, amplitudes and their location in the corresponding color-magnitude (J -Ks ,Ks) and color-color (H -Ks , J - H) diagrams. We found 5 possible Cepheid stars which, based on the period-luminosity relation, are very likely type II Cepheids located behind the bulge. Among the newly discovered variables, there are eclipsing binaries, δ Scuti, as well as background RR Lyrae stars. Using the new version of the Wilson & Devinney code as well as the "Physics Of Eclipsing Binaries" (PHOEBE) code, we analyzed some of the best eclipsing binaries we discovered. Our results show that these studied systems turn out to be ranging from detached to double-contact binaries, with low eccentricities and high inclinations of approximately 80°. Their surface temperatures range between 3500 K and 8000 K.

Catalog based two-color, relative photometry of NEOs at McDonald Observatory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barker, E. S.; Györgyey Ries, J.; Shelus, P. J.; Ricklefs, R. L.

2001-11-01

The McDonald Observatory astrometry group has been involved in Solar System positional observations since the early 1970's. Since 1995, it has evolved to a CCD-based, almost totally automated, astrometry package. We are focusing our observational program on Near Earth Objects (NEOs) as part of NASA's mission to discover and catalogue 90 percent of NEOs with diameters larger than 1 km by 2008. We carry out confirmation observations of newly discovered objects and contribute to orbit improvements of under-observed objects. Understanding the overall hazard that these objects pose to Earth requires their dynamical and physical characterization. We recently adopted the USNO-A2.0 catalogue to improve our astrometric results. The catalog, however, also provides stellar magnitudes in the standard Johnson R and B photometric bands. After completing the night’s observing program, we now regularly provide the IAU with R magnitudes in addition to astrometric positions. Our limiting magnitude in R is near 22 in a 15 minute exposure over a 46 arcmin field on the 0.8m prime focus camera. Typically, we are scheduled for 4 nights each lunation, but our semi-automated, IRAF/ICE based program can be used by other 0.8m users. We are testing procedures that will include B and V exposures as part of our standard confirmation triplet. We have confirmed that switching filters between exposures on standard fields does not compromise the astrometric accurary. Thus, we should be able to provide two color, sequential, relative photometry of any newly discovered asteroid, as part of the confirmation process. The time interval between exposures is less than 20 minutes, short compared to most asteroid rotation times. Consequently, a meaningful color index can be obtained in parallel with the astrometric positions. Although B-R is not the usual color index used in asteroid classification studies, we are testing whether we can use it as a quick diagnostic tool to roughly classify newly discovered NEOs as by product of our astrometric observing sequence. Preliminary results will be presented at the meeting. This research is funded by NASA's NEO Observation Program grants NAG5-6863 and NAG5-10183.

Relative 2-color Photometry Of Neo's

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shelus, P.; Gyorgyey-Ries, J.; Ricklefs, R.; Barker, E.

We have been making Solar System small body positional observations at McDon- ald Observatory since the early 1970's. In 1994 we moved to a CCD-based, almost totally automated, astrometry system (Whipple et al, 1996, Astron. J., Vol. 112, p. 316). Our present observational effort is focussed upon Near Earth Objects (NEOs) as part of NASA's mission to discover and catalogue 90 percent of NEOs with diameters larger than 1 km by 2008. Observing 4 nights per lunation, we conduct observations to confirm newly discovered NEOs, filling in the night on a target-of-opportunnity basis, with observations of under-observed NEOs. Our major intent is to understand the overall hazard that these objects pose to Earth and their dynamical and physical characterization. We recently adopted the USNO-A2.0 catalogue to improve astromet- ric results and a number of up-grades to the end-to-end system have been developed (Barker et al, 2001, Bull. AAS, Vol. 33, p. 1116). The USNO catalog also provides stellar magnitudes in the standard Johnson R and B photometric bands. We have thus taken the opportunity to expand our observational efforts to regularly provide R mag- nitudes, in addition to astrometric positions. Our limiting magnitude in R is near 22. We are now furthering our photometric efforts by including B exposures as part of our standard observation triplet. We have already confirmed that switching filters between exposures on standard fields does not compromise the astrometric accurary. Thus, we plan to provide two color, sequential, relative photometry, (B-R), of newly discov- ered or under observed asteroids, as part of our routine observation process. The time interval between exposures is always less than 20 minutes, short compared to most asteroid rotation times. Consequently, a meaningful color index can be obtained in parallel with the astrometric positions. Although (B-R) is not the usual color index used in asteroid classification studies, we are testing whether we can use it as a quick diagnostic tool to roughly classify newly discovered NEOs. The results so far obtained are presented here. This research is funded by NASA's NEO Observation Program grants NAG5-6863 and NAG5-10183.

Newly-synthesized chalcones-inhibition of adherence and biofilm formation of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus

PubMed Central

Bozic, Dragana D.; Milenkovic, Marina; Ivkovic, Branka; Cirkovic, Ivana

2014-01-01

Biofilm formation and adherence of bacteria to host tissue are one of the most important virulence factors of methicillin-resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The number of resistant strains is seriously increasing during the past years and bacteria have become resistant, not only to methicillin, but also to other commonly used antistaphylococcal antibiotics. There is a great need for discovering a novel antimicrobial agent for the treatment of staphylococcal infections. One of the most promising groups of compounds appears to be chalcones. In present study we evaluated the in vitro effect of three newly synthesized chalcones: 1,3- Bis-(2-hydroxy-phenyl)-propenone, 3-(3-Hydroxy-phenyl)-1-(2-hydroxy-phenyl)-propenone and 3-(4-Hydroxy-phenyl)-1-(2-hydroxy-phenyl)-propenone on glycocalyx production, biofilm formation and adherence to human fibronectin of clinical isolates and laboratory control strain of MRSA (ATCC 43300). Subinhibitory concentrations of the tested compounds reduced the production of glycocalyx, biofilm formation and adherence to human fibronectin of all MRSA strains. Inhibition of biofilm formation was dose dependent and the most effective was 1,3- Bis-(2-hydroxy-phenyl)-propenone. In our study we demonstrated that three newly-synthesized chalcones exhibited significant effect on adherence and biofilm formation of MRSA strains. Chalcones may be considered as promising new antimicrobial agents that can be used for prevention of staphylococcal infections or as adjunct to antibiotics in conventional therapy. PMID:24948943

Fungal and herbivore elicitation of a newly identified maize sesquiterpenoid, zealexin A4, is constrained by abiotic stress

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The existence of microbe- or abiotic stress-inducible antimicrobials, termed phytoalexins, has only recently been discovered in maize. Identification and structural elucidation of the labdane-related diterpenoid kauralexins and sesquiterpenoid zealexins has collectively resulted in 10 novel pathogen...

Biology and distribution of Lutzomyia apache as it relates to VSV

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Phlebotomine sand flies are vectors of bacteria, parasites, and viruses. Lutzomyia apache was incriminated as a vector of vesicular stomatitis viruses(VSV)due to overlapping ranges of the sand fly and outbreaks of VSV. I report on newly discovered populations of L. apache in Wyoming from Albany and ...

Fast infrared photometry of the black-hole candidate MAXI J1820+070

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Casella, P.; Vincentelli, F.; O'Brien, K.; Testa, V.; Maccarone, T. J.; Uttley, P.; Fender, R.; Russell, D. M.

2018-03-01

We report on near-infrared fast-photometry observations of the newly discovered X-ray transient MAXI J1820+070 (ATel #11399, #11400, #11406, #11418, #11420, , #11421, #11423, #11424, #11425, #11426, #11427, #11432, #11437, #11439, #11440, #11445), carried out with HAWK-I at VLT/Paranal.

Secrets in the Bedroom: Adolescents' Private Use of Media.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Larson, Reed

1995-01-01

The functions of solitary media use in the daily emotional lives of adolescents are discussed, suggesting that solitary television watching and music listening give adolescents an opportunity to explore and cultivate a newly discovered private self. Solitary media experiences provide an important context for dealing with stress and negative…

Fermi/GBM Update on the Orbital Ephemeris of Swift J0243.6+6124

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jenke, P.; Wilson-Hodge, C. A.; Malacaria, C.

2018-02-01

Using Fermi/GBM data between MJD 58098 and 58154 (2017 December 11 to 2018 February 5) in the 12-50 keV range, we determine a new orbital ephemeris for the newly discovered (ATEL #10809) Be X-ray binary Swift J0243.6+6124.

INTEGRAL observations of MAXI J1820+070

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bozzo, E.; Savchenko, V.; Ferrigno, C.; Ducci, L.; Kuulkers, E.; Ubertini, P.; Laurent, P.

2018-03-01

INTEGRAL observed the newly discovered blackhole candidate MAXI J1820+070 (ATel #11400, #11403, #11418, #11421, #11423, #11424, #11425, #11426, #11427, #11432, #11437, #11439, #11440, #11445, #11451, #11458) during a dedicated ToO campaign from 16 March 2018 at 11:07 to 18 March at 12:52 (UTC; satellite revolution 1931).

Kpna7 interacts with egg-specific nuclear factors in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Nuclear proteins are required for initiation of transcription in early embryos before embryonic genome activation. The regulation of transportation of nuclear proteins is mediated by transport factors known as importins (karyopherins). Kpna7 is a newly discovered member of the importin a family, whi...

Sporulation of Phytophthora ramorum and P. kernoviae on asymptomatic foliage and fruit

Treesearch

S. Denman; E. Moralejo; S.A. Kirk; E. Orton; A. Whybrow

2008-01-01

Phytophthora ramorum and P. kernoviae are newly discovered invasive Phytophthoras causing leaf necrosis, shoot tip dieback (mostly on ornamental and forest understorey host species) and bleeding cankers on tree trunks of a wide range of plant species. Both pathogens are now present in south-west England....

77 FR 17498 - Recovery Plan for the Endangered Spigelia gentianoides (Gentian Pinkroot)

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-26

... status when: Extant populations and newly discovered sites are identified and mapped; Inventories have... management protocols on selected populations are established for 15 years to track threats to the species and its habitat; Extant populations located on public land are stable; The minimum viable population (MVP...

Observations of Spacecraft Targets, Unusual Asteroids, and Targets of Opportunity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tholen, David J.

1998-01-01

Obtain physical and astrometric observations of: (1) spacecraft targets to support mission operations; (2) known asteroids with unusual orbits to help determine their origin; and (3) newly discovered minor planets (including both asteroids and comets) that represent a particular opportunity to add significant new knowledge of the Solar System.

Workforce Preparedness of Information Systems Students: Perceptions of Students, Alumni, and Employers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bristow, Susan

2013-01-01

Employers of newly hired higher education graduates report their new workforce is not prepared. Further research was required to discover insights to the workforce readiness gap. This concurrent mixed methods study explored what competencies influenced employer's perceptions of the work-readiness of Information Systems (ISYS) undergraduate…

Comparative host range and aggressiveness of Phytophthora ramorum and Phytophthora kernoviae sp. nov. on North American and European trees

Treesearch

Clive Brasier; Joan Rose; Susan Kirk; Sandra Denman; Joan Webber

2006-01-01

Phytophthora ramorum and P. kernoviae are recently introduced, invasive pathogens in woodlands in southern Britain. P. kernoviae, previously known as Phytophthora taxon C, is a newly discovered taxon, (Brasier and others 2005), found during surveys for P. ramorum in Cornwall...

Anaerobic thermophilic culture system

DOEpatents

Ljungdahl, Lars G.; Wiegel, Jurgen K. W.

1981-01-01

A mixed culture system of the newly discovered microorganism Thermoanaerobacter ethanolicus ATCC31550 and the microorganism Clostridium thermocellum ATCC31549 is described. In a mixed nutrient culture medium that contains cellulose, these microorganisms have been coupled and cultivated to efficiently ferment cellulose to produce recoverable quantities of ethanol under anaerobic, thermophilic conditions.

The Press Conferences of Eleanor Roosevelt.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beasley, Maurine H.

Newly discovered transcriptions of 87 of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt's women-only press conferences held from 1933 to 1945 make possible an examination of the objectives, topics, and value of these conferences. By holding the conferences, Mrs. Roosevelt attributed to women an important function in the political communication process, and at the…

Host specificity and phylogenetic relationships of chicken and turkey parvoviruses

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Previous reports indicate that the newly discovered chicken parvoviruses (ChPV) and turkey parvoviruses (TuPV) are very similar to each other, yet they represent different species within a new genus of Parvoviridae. Currently, strain classification is based on the phylogenetic analysis of a 561 bas...

MAXI/GSC detection of a hard-to-soft state transition of MAXI J1727-203, suggesting a black-hole binary

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Negoro, H.; Shidatsu, M.; Mihara, T.; Serino, M.; Nakajima, M.; Sakamaki, A.; Maruyama, W.; Nakahira, S.; Yatabe, F.; Takao, Y.; Matsuoka, M.; Kawai, N.; Sugizaki, M.; Tachibana, Y.; Morita, K.; Sakamoto, T.; Sugita, S.; Kawakubo, Y.; Hashimoto, T.; Yoshida, A.; Ueno, S.; Tomida, H.; Ishikawa, M.; Isobe, N.; Sugawara, Y.; Shimomukai, R.; Ueda, Y.; Tanimoto, A.; Morita, T.; Yamada, S.; Tsuboi, Y.; Iwakiri, W.; Sasaki, R.; Kawai, H.; Sato, T.; Tsunemi, H.; Yoneyama, T.; Yamauchi, M.; Hidaka, K.; Iwahori, S.; Kawamuro, T.; Yamaoka, K.

2018-06-01

MAXI/GSC observations of the newly discovered X-ray nova MAXI J1727-203 (Yoneyama et al. ATel. #11683, also see ATel #11689, #11690, #11691, #11692) showed energy spectral softening starting from the middle of June 5 (MJD 58274).

Newly discovered natural hosts of tomato chlorosis virus in Costa Rica

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Tomato chlorosis virus (ToCV) is an emerging whitefly-transmitted crinivirus. ToCV was detected in field-grown and greenhouse tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) plants in Costa Rica in 2007, causing symptoms of severe yellowing and foliar chlorosis. To identify alternative hosts that may serve as viru...

The JH1 Haplotype-a newly discovered marker for infertility in the jersy breed

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The focus on production traits in genetic selection programs with little consideration for traits associated with reproduction has contributed to the decline in reproductive function. Moreover, there is a negative genetic correlation between milk yield and reproduction so that selection for yield ca...

New Mode For Single-Event Upsets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zoutendyk, John A.; Smith, Lawrence S.; Soli, George A.; Lo, Roger Y.

1988-01-01

Report presents theory and experimental data regarding newly discovered mode for single-event upsets, (SEU's) in complementary metal-oxide/semiconductor, static random-access memories, CMOS SRAM's. SEU cross sections larger than those expected from previously known modes given rise to speculation regarding additional mode, and subsequent cross-section measurements appear to confirm speculation.

Early onset of action and sleep-improving effect are crucial in decreasing suicide risk: the role of quetiapine XR in the treatment of unipolar and bipolar depression.

PubMed

Pompili, Maurizio; Rihmer, Zoltan; Gonda, Xenia; Serafini, Gianluca; Sher, Leo; Girardi, Paolo

2012-01-01

Although the possibilities of antidepressive pharmacotherapy are continuously improving, the rate of nonresponders or partial responders is still relatively high. Suicidal behavior, the most tragic consequence of untreated or unsuccessfully treated depression, commonly observed in the first few weeks of antidepressive treatment before the onset of therapeutic action, is strongly related to certain symptoms of depression like insomnia. The present paper reviews the newly discovered and well-documented antidepressive effect of quetiapine in bipolar and unipolar depression with special focus on its early onset of action and its sleep-improving effects. Both beneficial effects play an important role in the reduction of suicidal risk frequently observed in depressed patients.

Blind image quality assessment via probabilistic latent semantic analysis.

PubMed

Yang, Xichen; Sun, Quansen; Wang, Tianshu

2016-01-01

We propose a blind image quality assessment that is highly unsupervised and training free. The new method is based on the hypothesis that the effect caused by distortion can be expressed by certain latent characteristics. Combined with probabilistic latent semantic analysis, the latent characteristics can be discovered by applying a topic model over a visual word dictionary. Four distortion-affected features are extracted to form the visual words in the dictionary: (1) the block-based local histogram; (2) the block-based local mean value; (3) the mean value of contrast within a block; (4) the variance of contrast within a block. Based on the dictionary, the latent topics in the images can be discovered. The discrepancy between the frequency of the topics in an unfamiliar image and a large number of pristine images is applied to measure the image quality. Experimental results for four open databases show that the newly proposed method correlates well with human subjective judgments of diversely distorted images.

Newly discovered populations of salamanders from Siskiyou County California represent a species distinct from Plethodon Stormi.

Treesearch

Louise S. Mead; David R. Clayton; Richard S. Nauman; Deanna H. Olson; Michael E. Pfrender

2005-01-01

Plethodon stormi and Plethodon elongatus are two closely related species of plethodontid salamanders that are restricted to the Klamath Province of northwestern California and southwestern Oregon. Discovery of three localities south of the Klamath River, in the Scott River drainage, not assignable to either P....

Brachyrhynchus membranaceus (Fabricius), an Old World flat bug (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Aradidae) newly discovered in the Western Hemisphere

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The Old World aradid Brachyrhynchus membranaceus (Fabricius), belonging to the subfamily Mezirinae, is reported for the first time from the Western Hemisphere. Since 2005, eight specimens have been intercepted at United States ports-of-entry in international commerce from Costa Rica, Dominican Repub...

Nepetalactones from essential oil of Nepeta cataria represent a stable fly feeding and oviposition repellent

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

We have discovered that catnip oil reduced the feeding of stable flies by more than 96% in the laboratory bioassays, when compared with other sesquiterpene-rich amyris and sandalwood oils. Catnip oil further demonstrated with a strong repellency against stable flies, relative to other newly identifi...

Parasitism of Megacopta cribraria (Hemiptera: Plataspidae)by Paratelenomus saccharalis (Hymenoptera: Platygastridae) in organic soybean plots in Georgia, USA

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The kudzu bug, Megacopta cribraria (F.) (Hemiptera: Plataspidae), is a newly-invasive exotic pest of soybean in the southeastern US. In 2013, the exotic egg parasitoid Paratelenomus saccharalis (Hymenoptera: Platygastridae) (Dodd) was discovered parasitizing eggs of this pest in kudzu and soybean in...

Nosema ceranae, a newly identified pathogen of Apis mellifera in the U.S. and Asia

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Nosemosis (Nosema disease) is one of the most serious and prevalent adult honey bee diseases worldwide. For years, Nosema apis was thought to be the only microsporidia infecting domestic bee colonies. However, recently it was discovered that N. ceranae could jump from Asian honey bees (Apis cerana...

Distribution and etiology of aerial stem infections of Phytophthora ramorum and Phytophthora kernoviae at three woodland sites in the U.K.

Treesearch

Anna Brown; Clive Brasier; Sandra Denman; Joan Rose; Susan Kirk; Joan Webber

2006-01-01

Phytophthora ramorum and P . kernoviae sp. nov are recently introduced, invasive pathogens in woodlands in southern Britain. P. kernoviae is a newly discovered taxon, previously referred to as Phytophthora taxon C. Both species aggressively infect foliage and shoots of understory rhododendrons...

76 FR 16439 - Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Notice of Availability of a Technical/Agency Draft...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-03-23

... populations and individuals, the lack of information about the species' biology, and the magnitude of current...; and securing extant populations are the most immediate priorities. Downlisting of S. gentianoides from endangered to threatened status will be considered when: (1) Extant populations and newly discovered sites...

Hickory Mortality

Treesearch

USDA Forest Service Northern Area State & Private Forestry and Region 8

1994-01-01

Mortality of bitternut and shagbark hickory has been observed in Wisconsin since the late 1980's. This is similar to occurrences in the 1960's. The recent tree mortality has been associated with attacks by the hickory bark beetle, Scolytus quadrispinosus Say, and a newly discovered fungus in the genus Ceratocystis (tentatively C. caryae). The fungus can be...

Reovirus genomes from plant-feeding insects represent a newly discovered lineage within the family Reoviridae

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

A complex set of double-stranded RNAs (dsRNAs) was isolated from threecornered alfalfa hopper (Spissistilus festinus), a plant-feeding hemipteran pest. A subset of these dsRNAs constitute the genome of a new reovirus, provisionally designated Spissistilus festinus reovirus (SpFRV). SpFRV was prese...

Selenium hyperaccumulation - Astragalus bisulcatus, Cardamine hupingshanensis and Stanleya pinnata - may be useful for agromining selenium-rich soils

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Selenium hyperaccumulator plants like Stanleya pinnata, Astragalus bisulcatus and the newly discovered Se-accumulator Cardamine hupingshanensis may play an important role in the Se cycle from soil to plant to human in China. Se-hyperaccumulators can be used for agromining or for phytoremediation of ...

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

Cong, Daoyong; Rule, Kirrily Clair; Li, Wen-Hsien

Here we describe insights into the phase transformation kinetics and lattice dynamics associated with the newly discovered confined martensitic transformation, which are of great significance to the in-depth understanding of the phase transformation behavior responsible for the rich new physical phenomena in shape memory alloys and could shed light on the design of novel multifunctional properties through tuning the confined martensitic transformation.

A Newly Discovered Epidemic Area of Echinococcus multilocularis in West Gansu Province in China.

PubMed

Han, Jian; Bao, Genshu; Zhang, Duoqiang; Gao, Pengcheng; Wu, Tinjun; Craig, Philip; Giraudoux, Patrick; Chen, Xiao; Xin, Qi; He, Lili; Chen, Gen; Jing, Tao

2015-01-01

Alveolar echinococcosis (AE) is a lethal parasitic disease. In Gansu Province of China, all AE cases reported in literature were from Zhang and Min Counties, the southern part of the province. Here, we report the discovery of nine AE cases and one cystic echinococcosis (CE) case from Nanfeng Town of Minle County, in the middle of Hexi Corridor in west Gansu Province. The diagnosis of these cases were confirmed by serology, histopathology, computed tomography, B-ultrasound, immunohistochemistry method, DNA polymerase chain reaction and sequencing analysis. Because eight of nine AE cases came from First Zhanglianzhuang (FZLZ) village, we conducted preliminary epidemiological analyses of 730 persons on domestic water, community and ecology such as 356 dogs' faeces of FZLZ, in comparison with those of other five villages surrounding FZLZ. Our studies indicate that Nanfeng Town of Minle County is a newly discovered focus of AE in China as a CE and AE co-epidemic area. Further research of Echinococcus multilocularis transmission pattern in the area should be carried for prevention of this parasitic disease.

A Newly Discovered Epidemic Area of Echinococcus multilocularis in West Gansu Province in China

PubMed Central

Han, Jian; Bao, Genshu; Zhang, Duoqiang; Gao, Pengcheng; Wu, Tinjun; Craig, Philip; Giraudoux, Patrick; Chen, Xiao; Xin, Qi; He, Lili; Chen, Gen; Jing, Tao

2015-01-01

Alveolar echinococcosis (AE) is a lethal parasitic disease. In Gansu Province of China, all AE cases reported in literature were from Zhang and Min Counties, the southern part of the province. Here, we report the discovery of nine AE cases and one cystic echinococcosis (CE) case from Nanfeng Town of Minle County, in the middle of Hexi Corridor in west Gansu Province. The diagnosis of these cases were confirmed by serology, histopathology, computed tomography, B-ultrasound, immunohistochemistry method, DNA polymerase chain reaction and sequencing analysis. Because eight of nine AE cases came from First Zhanglianzhuang (FZLZ) village, we conducted preliminary epidemiological analyses of 730 persons on domestic water, community and ecology such as 356 dogs’ faeces of FZLZ, in comparison with those of other five villages surrounding FZLZ. Our studies indicate that Nanfeng Town of Minle County is a newly discovered focus of AE in China as a CE and AE co-epidemic area. Further research of Echinococcus multilocularis transmission pattern in the area should be carried for prevention of this parasitic disease. PMID:26186219

Discovery of two new large submarine canyons in the Bering Sea

USGS Publications Warehouse

Carlson, P.R.; Karl, Herman A.

1984-01-01

The Beringian continental margin is incised by some of the world's largest submarine canyons. Two newly discovered canyons, St. Matthew and Middle, are hereby added to the roster of Bering Sea canyons. Although these canyons are smaller and not cut back into the Bering shelf like the five very large canyons, they are nonetheless comparable in size to most of the canyons that have been cut into the U.S. eastern continental margin and much larger than the well-known southern California canyons. Both igneous and sedimentary rocks of Eocene to Pliocene age have been dredged from the walls of St. Matthew and Middle Canyons as well as from the walls of several of the other Beringian margin canyons, thus suggesting a late Tertiary to Quaternary genesis of the canyons. We speculate that the ancestral Yukon and possibly Anadyr Rivers were instrumental in initiating the canyon-cutting processes, but that, due to restrictions imposed by island and subsea bedrock barriers, cutting of the two newly discovered canyons may have begun later and been slower than for the other five canyons. ?? 1984.

Understanding the spectral and timing behaviour of a newly discovered transient X-ray pulsar Swift J0243.6+6124

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jaisawal, Gaurava K.; Naik, Sachindra; Chenevez, Jérôme

2018-03-01

We present the results obtained from timing and spectral studies of the newly discovered accreting X-ray binary pulsar Swift J0243.6+6124 using Nuclear Spectroscopy Telescope Array observation in 2017 October at a flux level of ˜280 mCrab. Pulsations at 9.854 23(5) s were detected in the X-ray light curves of the pulsar. Pulse profiles of the pulsar were found to be strongly energy dependent. A broad profile at lower energies was found to evolve into a double-peaked profile in ≥ 30 keV. The 3-79 keV continuum spectrum of the pulsar was well described with a negative and positive exponential cutoff or high-energy cutoff power-law models modified with a hot blackbody at ˜3 keV. An iron emission line was also detected at 6.4 keV in the source spectrum. We did not find any signature of cyclotron absorption line in our study. Results obtained from phase-resolved and time-resolved spectroscopy are discussed in the paper.

Tsunamigenic potential of a newly discovered active fault zone in the outer Messina Strait, Southern Italy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fu, Lili; Heidarzadeh, Mohammad; Cukur, Deniz; Chiocci, Francesco L.; Ridente, Domenico; Gross, Felix; Bialas, Jörg; Krastel, Sebastian

2017-03-01

The 1908 Messina tsunami was the most catastrophic tsunami hitting the coastline of Southern Italy in the younger past. The source of this tsunami, however, is still heavily debated, and both rupture along a fault and a slope failure have been postulated as potential origin of the tsunami. Here we report a newly discovered active Fiumefreddo-Melito di Porto Salvo Fault Zone (F-MPS_FZ), which is located in the outer Messina Strait in a proposed landslide source area of the 1908 Messina tsunami. Tsunami modeling showed that this fault zone would produce devastating tsunamis by assuming slip amounts of ≥5 m. An assumed slip of up to 17 m could even generate a tsunami comparable to the 1908 Messina tsunami, but we do not consider the F-MPS_FZ as a source for the 1908 Messina tsunami because its E-W strike contradicts seismological observations of the 1908 Messina earthquake. Future researches on the F-MPS_FZ, however, may contribute to the tsunami risk assessment in the Messina Strait.

High resolution spectroscopy of six new extreme helium stars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Heber, U.; Jones, G.; Drilling, J. S.

1986-01-01

High resolution spectra of six newly discovered extreme helium stars are presented. LSS 5121 is shown to be a spectroscopical twin of the hot extreme helium star HD 160641. A preliminary LTE analysis of LSS 3184 yielded an effective temperature of 22,000 K and a surface gravity of log g = 3.2. Four stars form a new subgroup, classified by sharp-lined He I spectra and pronounced O II spectra, and it is conjectured that these lie close to the Eddington limit. The whole group of extreme helium stars apparently is inhomogeneous with respect to luminosity to mass ratio and chemical composition.

Torsion of DNA modeled as a heterogeneous fluctuating rod

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Argudo, David; Purohit, Prashant K.

2014-01-01

We discuss the statistical mechanics of a heterogeneous elastic rod with bending, twisting and stretching. Our model goes beyond earlier works where only homogeneous rods were considered in the limit of high forces and long lengths. Our methods allow us to consider shorter fluctuating rods for which boundary conditions can play an important role. We use our theory to study structural transitions in torsionally constrained DNA where there is coexistence of states with different effective properties. In particular, we examine whether a newly discovered left-handed DNA conformation called L-DNA is a mixture of two known states. We also use our model to investigate the mechanical effects of the binding of small molecules to DNA. For both these applications we make experimentally falsifiable predictions.

Artificial Intelligence and NASA Data Used to Discover Eighth Planet Circling Distant Star

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-12

Our solar system now is tied for most number of planets around a single star, with the recent discovery of an eighth planet circling Kepler-90, a Sun-like star 2,545 light years from Earth. The planet was discovered in data from NASA’s Kepler space telescope. The newly-discovered Kepler-90i -- a sizzling hot, rocky planet that orbits its star once every 14.4 days -- was found by researchers from Google and The University of Texas at Austin using machine learning. Machine learning is an approach to artificial intelligence in which computers “learn.” In this case, computers learned to identify planets by finding in Kepler data instances where the telescope recorded signals from planets beyond our solar system, known as exoplanets. Video Credit: NASA Ames Research Center / Google

Long-term mortality after community-acquired pneumonia—impacts of diabetes and newly discovered hyperglycaemia: a prospective, observational cohort study

PubMed Central

Koskela, Heikki O; Salonen, Päivi H; Romppanen, Jarkko; Niskanen, Leo

2014-01-01

Objectives Community-acquired pneumonia is associated with a significant long-term mortality after initial recovery. It has been acknowledged that additional research is urgently needed to examine the contributors to this long-term mortality. The objective of the present study was to assess whether diabetes or newly discovered hyperglycaemia during pneumonia affects long-term mortality. Design A prospective, observational cohort study. Setting A single secondary centre in eastern Finland. Participants 153 consecutive hospitalised patients who survived at least 30 days after mild-to-moderate community-acquired pneumonia. Interventions Plasma glucose levels were recorded seven times during the first day on the ward. Several possible confounders were also recorded. The surveillance status and causes of death were recorded after median of 5 years and 11 months. Results In multivariate Cox regression analysis, a previous diagnosis of diabetes among the whole population (adjusted HR 2.84 (1.35–5.99)) and new postprandial hyperglycaemia among the non-diabetic population (adjusted HR 2.56 (1.04–6.32)) showed independent associations with late mortality. New fasting hyperglycaemia was not an independent predictor. The mortality rates at the end of follow-up were 54%, 37% and 10% among patients with diabetes, patients without diabetes with new postprandial hyperglycaemia and patients without diabetes without postprandial hyperglycaemia, respectively (p<0.001). The underlying causes of death roughly mirrored those in the Finnish general population with a slight excess in mortality due to chronic respiratory diseases. Pneumonia was the immediate cause of death in just 8% of all late deaths. Conclusions A previous diagnosis of diabetes and newly discovered postprandial hyperglycaemia increase the risk of death for several years after community-acquired pneumonia. As the knowledge about patient subgroups with an increased late mortality risk is gradually gathering, more studies are needed to evaluate the possible postpneumonia interventions to reduce late mortality. PMID:25146717

Observations of candidate oscillating eclipsing binaries and two newly discovered pulsating variables

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liakos, A.; Niarchos, P.

2009-03-01

CCD observations of 24 eclipsing binary systems with spectral types ranging between A0-F0, candidate for containing pulsating components, were obtained. Appropriate exposure times in one or more photometric filters were used so that short-periodic pulsations could be detected. Their light curves were analyzed using the Period04 software in order to search for pulsational behaviour. Two new variable stars, namely GSC 2673-1583 and GSC 3641-0359, were discov- ered as by-product during the observations of eclipsing variables. The Fourier analysis of the observations of each star, the dominant pulsation frequencies and the derived frequency spectra are also presented.

Newly discovered sediment rock-hosted disseminated gold deposits in the People's Republic of China

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cunningham, Charles G.; Ashley, Roger P.; Chou, I. -Ming; Huang, Zushu; Chaoyuan, Wan; Li, Wenkang

1988-01-01

Five deposits discovered in Guizhou Province, Yata, Getang, Sanchahe, Ceyang, and Banqi are described for the first time in Western literature. The deposits have geologic features and geochemical signatures that are remarkably similar to those of sedimentary rock-hosted precious metal deposits in the United States. The sizes of the deposits are as yet undetermined, but they each contain significant reserves at average grades of 4 to 5 g of gold per metric ton. Exploration and drilling are in progress at all of the deposits, and other areas where the geologic setting and geochemical anomalies are similar are being tested.

Multi-dimensional SAR tomography for monitoring the deformation of newly built concrete buildings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Peifeng; Lin, Hui; Lan, Hengxing; Chen, Fulong

2015-08-01

Deformation often occurs in buildings at early ages, and the constant inspection of deformation is of significant importance to discover possible cracking and avoid wall failure. This paper exploits the multi-dimensional SAR tomography technique to monitor the deformation performances of two newly built buildings (B1 and B2) with a special focus on the effects of concrete creep and shrinkage. To separate the nonlinear thermal expansion from total deformations, the extended 4-D SAR technique is exploited. The thermal map estimated from 44 TerraSAR-X images demonstrates that the derived thermal amplitude is highly related to the building height due to the upward accumulative effect of thermal expansion. The linear deformation velocity map reveals that B1 is subject to settlement during the construction period, in addition, the creep and shrinkage of B1 lead to wall shortening that is a height-dependent movement in the downward direction, and the asymmetrical creep of B2 triggers wall deflection that is a height-dependent movement in the deflection direction. It is also validated that the extended 4-D SAR can rectify the bias of estimated wall shortening and wall deflection by 4-D SAR.

Synthesis of New Nitrofluoroquinolone Derivatives with Novel Anti-Microbial Properties against Metronidazole Resistant H. pylori.

PubMed

Abu-Qatouseh, Luay; Abu-Sini, Mohammad; Mayyas, Amal; Al-Hiari, Yusuf; Darwish, Rula; Aburjai, Talal

2017-01-04

One of the major therapeutic approaches to preventing relapse and accelerating the healing of duodenal and gastric ulcers is the eradication of Helicobacter pylori . Due to the emergence of antibiotic resistance among clinical strains of H. pylori , alternative approaches using newly discovered antimicrobial agents in combination with the standard regimens for the treatment of H. pylori are increasingly needed. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of newly synthesized 8-nitroflouroqunolone derivatives when used either alone or when combined with metronidazole against metronidazole-resistant H. pylori . Based on the standard antimicrobial susceptibility testing methods and checkerboard titration assay, all of the tested compounds showed interesting antimicrobial activity against 12 clinical strains of H. pylori , with the best in vitro effect for compound 3c . In addition, synergistic and additive activities of some of the tested compounds were observed when combined with metronidazole. Furthermore, among the tested nitroflouroquinolone derivatives, compound 3b showed significant urease inhibition activity with IC 50 of 62.5 µg/mL. These results suggest that 8-nitroflouroquinolone derivatives may have a useful role in combination with anti- H. pylori drugs in the management of H. pylori -associated diseases.

Heritage Quay: What Will You Discover? Transforming the Archives of the University of Huddersfield, Yorkshire, UK

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wickham, M. Sarah

2015-01-01

The University of Huddersfield presents a key case study of the transformation of its Archives Service, using the newly-developed Staff/Space/Collections dependency model for archives and the lessons of the UK's Customer Service Excellence (CSE) scheme in order to examine and illustrate service development. Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and…

Bacterial extracellular lignin peroxidase

DOEpatents

Crawford, Donald L.; Ramachandra, Muralidhara

1993-01-01

A newly discovered lignin peroxidase enzyme is provided. The enzyme is obtained from a bacterial source and is capable of degrading the lignin portion of lignocellulose in the presence of hydrogen peroxide. The enzyme is extracellular, oxidative, inducible by lignin, larch wood xylan, or related substrates and capable of attacking certain lignin substructure chemical bonds that are not degradable by fungal lignin peroxidases.

Mechanism and stem-cell activity of 5-carboxycytosine decarboxylation determined by isotope tracing.

PubMed

Schiesser, Stefan; Hackner, Benjamin; Pfaffeneder, Toni; Müller, Markus; Hagemeier, Christian; Truss, Matthias; Carell, Thomas

2012-06-25

Eraserhead: Stem cells seem to erase epigenetic information by decarboxylation of the newly discovered epigenetic base 5-carboxycytosine (caC; see picture). This reaction is likely to involve a nucleophilic attack of the C5-C6 double bond. Copyright © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

USDA Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station Sudden Oak Death Research Program: 2001-2005

Treesearch

Patrick J. Shea

2006-01-01

The Pacific Southwest Research Station (PSW), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service initiated the Sudden Oak Death Research (SOD) Program in late 2000. The program was prompted by late fiscal year funding dedicated directly to begin research on this newly discovered disease. The history of discovery of Phytophthora ramorum, the...

Parenteral Transmission of the Novel Human Parvovirus PARV4

PubMed Central

Manning, Ashleigh; Kenneil, Rachel; Carnie, Frances W.; Bell, Jeanne E.

2007-01-01

Transmission routes of PARV4, a newly discovered human parvovirus, were investigated by determining frequencies of persistent infections using autopsy samples from different risk groups. Predominantly parenteral routes of transmission were demonstrated by infection restricted to injection drug users and persons with hemophilia and absence of infection in homosexual men with AIDS and low-risk controls. PMID:18252117

Newly discovered bio-control agents kill Sparganothis and cranberry fruitworm: Preliminary data on native nematode species

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Historically, two of the most destructive insect pests in Wisconsin have been the Cranberry Fruitworm (CFW) and the Sparganothis Fruitworm (SFW). Once they’ve hatched, controlling them is a lot like “trench warfare,” where we throw various weapons at the enemy, but most of them miss. Many Wisconsin ...

Revisiting the Metaphor of the Island: Challenging "World Culture" from an Island Misunderstood

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rappleye, Jeremy

2015-01-01

This article revisits the newly "discovered" island that world culture theorists have repeatedly utilised to explain their theoretical stance, conceptual preferences and methodological approach. Yet, it seeks to (re)connect world culture with the real world by replacing their imagined atoll with a real one--the island-nation of Japan. In…

Adult Higher Education: Are We Moving in the Wrong Direction?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coulter, Xenia; Mandell, Alan

2012-01-01

After so many years of invisibility, adult students in higher education have finally begun to come into their own. As a newly discovered marketing niche, adults are seen by budget-driven college administrators as important financial plums. As vocal advocates for their own needs, they have made the issue of access a legitimate consideration in the…

Anaerobic thermophilic culture

DOEpatents

Ljungdahl, Lars G.; Wiegel, Jurgen K. W.

1981-01-01

A newly discovered thermophilic anaerobe is described that was isolated in a biologically pure culture and designated Thermoanaerobacter ethanolicus ATCC 3/550. T. Ethanolicus is cultured in aqueous nutrient medium under anaerobic, thermophilic conditions and is used in a novel process for producing ethanol by subjecting carbohydrates, particularly the saccharides, to fermentation action of the new microorganism in a biologically pure culture.

Vapor movement of the synthetic auxin herbicides, aminocyclopyrachlor and its methyl ester under laboratory and enclosed chamber environments

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Aminocyclopyrachlor (DPX MAT28) a newly discovered synthetic auxin herbicide and its methyl ester (DPX KJM44) appear to control a number of perennial broadleaf weeds. The potential volatility of this new herbicide and its methyl ester were determined under laboratory conditions and were also compar...

TMAP: A NEO follow-up program utilizing undergraduate observers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramirez, C.; Deaver, D.; Martinez, R.; Foster, J.; Kuang, L.; Ates, A.; Anderson, M.; Mijac, M.; Gillam, S.; Hicks, M. D.

2000-10-01

In the spring of 2000 we began TMAP (Table Mountain Astrometry Project), a program designed to provide timely astrometric followup of newly discovered near-Earth asteroids. Relying on undergraduate observers from the local California State Universities, we have to date been involved with the over 50 NEO and new comet discoveries. This is a significant fraction of all near-Earth asteroids discovered over the time period. All observations are performed at JPL's Table Mountain Facility near Wrightwood California using the 0.6-meter telescope equipped with a Photometrics LN cooled 1k CCD mounted at the cassegrain focus. With this system we can routinely detect objects to R=20.5. We have typically scheduled two runs per month on weekends bracketing the new moon. The student observers man the telescope are trained to select and obtain R-band images of candidates from the Minor Planet Center's NEO Confirmation Page (http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/cfa/ps/NEO/TheNEOPage.html). The astrometry is then reduced and submitted to the Minor Planet Center the following day. TMAP has proven to be an efficient way both to obtain much needed astrometric measurements of newly discovered small bodies as well as to involve undergraduate researchers in planetary research. The limiting magnitudes provided by the 0.6-meter partially fills the gap between the extremely helpful and dedicated amateur astromitrists and the followup that the NEO detection programs do themselves. This work is supported by NASA.

Calcineurin-inhibitor pain syndrome.

PubMed

Prommer, Eric

2012-07-01

There has been increased recognition of calcineurin, a phosphoprotein serine/threonine phosphatase enzyme, in the regulation of many physiologic systems. Calcineurin mediates activation of lymphocytes, which play a role in immune response. Widely distributed in the central nervous system, calcinuerin also plays an important role in sensory neural function, via its role in the regulation of newly discovered 2-pore potassium channels, which greatly influence neuronal resting membrane potentials. Calcinuerin inhibition is the mechanism of action of immunomodulatory drugs such as cyclosporine and tacrolimus, which are widely used in transplantation medicine to prevent rejection. While important for immunosuppression, the use of calcineurin inhibitors has been associated with the development of a new pain syndrome called the calcineurin pain syndrome, which appears to be an untoward complication of the interruption of the physiologic function of calcineurin. This is a narrative review focusing on the epidemiology, pathophysiology, characterization of a newly recognized pain syndrome associated with the use of calcineurin inhibitors. The use of immunosuppressants however is associated with several well-known toxicities to which the calcineurin pain syndrome can be added. The development of this syndrome most likely involves altered nociceptive processing due to the effect of calcineurin inhibition on neuronal firing, as well as effects of calcineurin on vascular tone. The most striking aspect of the treatment of this syndrome is the response to calcium channel blockers, which suggest that the effects of calcineurin inhibition on vascular tone play an important role in the development of the calcineurin pain syndrome. The calcineurin syndrome is a newly recognized complication associated with the use of calcineurin inhibitors. There is no standard therapy at this time but anecdotal reports suggest the effectiveness of calcium channel blockers.

New Functions and Potential Applications of Amino Acids.

PubMed

Uneyama, Hisayuki; Kobayashi, Hisamine; Tonouchi, Naoto

Currently, several types of amino acids are being produced and used worldwide. Nevertheless, several new functions of amino acids have been recently discovered that could result in other applications. For example, oral stimulation by glutamate triggers the cephalic phase response to prepare for food digestion. Further, the stomach and intestines have specific glutamate-recognizing systems in their epithelial mucosa. Regarding clinical applications, addition of monosodium glutamate to the medicinal diet has been shown to markedly enhance gastric secretion in a vagus-dependent manner. Branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) are the major components of muscles, and ingestion of BCAAs has been found to be effective for decreasing muscle pain. BCAAs are expected to be a solution for the serious issue of aging. Further, ingestion of specific amino acids could be beneficial. Glycine can be ingested for good night's sleep: glycine ingestion before bedtime significantly improved subjective sleep quality. Ingestion of alanine and glutamine effectively accelerates alcohol metabolism, and ingestion of cystine and theanine effectively prevents colds. Finally, amino acids could be used in a novel clinical diagnostic method: the balance of amino acids in the blood could be an indicator of the risk of diseases such as cancer. These newly discovered functions of amino acids are expected to contribute to the resolution of various issues.

An Approach to Self-Assembling Swarm Robots Using Multitree Genetic Programming

PubMed Central

An, Jinung

2013-01-01

In recent days, self-assembling swarm robots have been studied by a number of researchers due to their advantages such as high efficiency, stability, and scalability. However, there are still critical issues in applying them to practical problems in the real world. The main objective of this study is to develop a novel self-assembling swarm robot algorithm that overcomes the limitations of existing approaches. To this end, multitree genetic programming is newly designed to efficiently discover a set of patterns necessary to carry out the mission of the self-assembling swarm robots. The obtained patterns are then incorporated into their corresponding robot modules. The computational experiments prove the effectiveness of the proposed approach. PMID:23861655

Role of Th17 Cell in Tubercle Bacillus Infection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Dandan

2018-01-01

Tuberculosis is mainly a kind of lung disease. Normal immune cell expression can inhibit proliferation of tubercle bacillus in the lungs, but this may also lead to chronic inflammation and pathological lesion. Th17 cell is a newly discovered CD4 + effector T cell subsets, whose differentiation and roles are influenced by various cytokines in the surrounding environment. Th17 cell plays an important role in resisting tubercle bacillus infection, but also it may cause pathological damage through the inflammatory response. Therefore, to balance two kinds of roles of Th17 cells in tubercle bacillus infection can effectively protect the body. This paper intends to do a summary on differentiation, regulation, and biological functions of Th17 cell.

Streamgaging in Pennsylvania: 1883-2009

USGS Publications Warehouse

Durlin, Randall R.

2009-01-01

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania contains 83,602 miles of streams within its borders. These streams are natural resources that influence the lives and economy of Pennsylvania residents daily. The water resources are used on a daily basis for recreation, power generation, drinking water, agriculture, industry, and many other uses, emphasizing the importance of this valuable resource. The effects of too much or too little water can be devastating to communities throughout the Commonwealth. The amount of water (flow) in a stream has been a critical piece of information since before the founding of Pennsylvania. In 1612, John Smith navigated the 'Sasquesahanough' River while exploring the newly discovered territory. In 1630, Dutch pioneers traveled up the Delaware River to settle in Bucks County.

An approach to self-assembling swarm robots using multitree genetic programming.

PubMed

Lee, Jong-Hyun; Ahn, Chang Wook; An, Jinung

2013-01-01

In recent days, self-assembling swarm robots have been studied by a number of researchers due to their advantages such as high efficiency, stability, and scalability. However, there are still critical issues in applying them to practical problems in the real world. The main objective of this study is to develop a novel self-assembling swarm robot algorithm that overcomes the limitations of existing approaches. To this end, multitree genetic programming is newly designed to efficiently discover a set of patterns necessary to carry out the mission of the self-assembling swarm robots. The obtained patterns are then incorporated into their corresponding robot modules. The computational experiments prove the effectiveness of the proposed approach.

Estrellas variables en campos de cúmulos abiertos galácticos detectadas en el relevamiento VVV

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Palma, T.; Dékany, I.; Clariá, J. J.; Minniti, D.; Alonso-García, J. A.; Ramírez Alegría, S.; Bonatto, C.

2016-08-01

The present project constitutes a massive search for variable stars in the field of open clusters projected on highly reddened regions of the galactic disk and bulge. This search is being performed using -, - and -band observations of the near-infrared variability Survey Vista variables in the Via Lactea. We present the first results obtained in four open clusters projected on the Galactic bulge. The new variables discovered in the current work, 182 in total, are classified on the basis of their light curves and their locations in the corresponding color-magnitude diagrams. Among the newly discovered variable stars, Cepheids, RR Lyrae, Scuti, eclipsing binaries and other types have been found.

Magnetar Observations with Fermi/GBM

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kouveliotou, Chryssa

2009-01-01

NASA's Fermi Observatory was launched June 11, 2009; the Fermi Gamma Ray Burst Monitor (GBM) began normal operations on July 14, about a month after launch, when the trigger algorithms were enabled. In the first year of operations we recorded emission from four magnetar sources; of these, only one was an old magnetar: SGR 1806+20. The other three detections were: SGR J0501+4516, newly discovered with Swift and extensively monitored with both Swift and GBM, SGR J1550-5418, a source originally classified as an Anomalous X-ray Pulsar (AXP) and a very recently discovered new source, SGR 0418+5729. I report below on the current status of the analyses efforts of the GBM data.

Fundamental properties of resonances

PubMed Central

Ceci, S.; Hadžimehmedović, M.; Osmanović, H.; Percan, A.; Zauner, B.

2017-01-01

All resonances, from hydrogen nuclei excited by the high-energy gamma rays in deep space to newly discovered particles produced in Large Hadron Collider, should be described by the same fundamental physical quantities. However, two distinct sets of properties are used to describe resonances: the pole parameters (complex pole position and residue) and the Breit-Wigner parameters (mass, width, and branching fractions). There is an ongoing decades-old debate on which one of them should be abandoned. In this study of nucleon resonances appearing in the elastic pion-nucleon scattering we discover an intricate interplay of the parameters from both sets, and realize that neither set is completely independent or fundamental on its own. PMID:28345595

Waiting for Water

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lamson-Nussbaum, Jorie

2013-01-01

The author waits in the hot and oppressive air while dust devils are born and die over the newly plowed field. It is a dry spring and she prays for rain. The lupine beans withered to dry threads last week and the corn that sprouted in a green haze over the north field is turning to brown paper. However, driving north, the author discovers the Rum…

Clinical and molecular features of human rhinovirus C

PubMed Central

Bochkov, Yury A.; Gern, James E.

2012-01-01

A newly discovered group of human rhinoviruses (HRVs) has been classified as the HRV-C species based on distinct genomic features. HRV-Cs circulate worldwide, and are important causes of upper and lower respiratory illnesses. Methods to culture and produce these viruses have recently been developed, and should enable identification of unique features of HRV-C replication and biology. PMID:22285901

Sedna Size Comparisons Artist Concept

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-03-15

The artist's rendition shows the newly discovered planet-like object, dubbed "Sedna," in relation to other bodies in the solar system, including Earth and its Moon; Pluto; and Quaoar, a planetoid beyond Pluto that was until now the largest known object beyond Pluto. The diameter of Sedna is slightly smaller than Pluto's but likely somewhat larger than Quaoar. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA05567

COMET KOHAUTEK - ART CONCEPTS

NASA Image and Video Library

1973-11-27

S73-37273 (24 Dec. 1973) --- An artist's concept illustrating the trajectory of the newly-discovered Comet Kohoutek in relation to the sun and to Earth and the plane of Earth's orbit. The picture show's the position of Kohoutek on Christmas Eve, 1973. The Skylab space station in Earth orbit will provide a favorable location from which to observe the passing of the comet. Photo credit: NASA

Prospect of nitric oxide as a new fumigant for postharvest pest control

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Nitric oxide (NO) is a newly discovered fumigant for postharvest pest control. In laboratory tests, complete control was achieved against all insect and mite species tested to date with 0.2% to 5% NO fumigations in 2 h to 48 h at 2 to 25°C depending on species and life stages. Nitric oxide reacts ...

A newly discovered Bordetella species carries a transcriptionally active CRISPR-Cas with a small Cas9 endonuclease

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The Cas9 endonuclease of the Type II-a clustered regularly interspersed short palindromic repeats (CRISPR), of Streptococcus pyogenes (SpCas9) has been adapted as a widely used tool for genome editing and genome engineering. Herein, we describe a gene encoding a novel Cas9 ortholog (BpsuCas9) and th...

Problems and strategy of the first flight to the comets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Davydov, V. D.

1980-01-01

Substantiation is given for the urgency of using space equipment to study comets in order to work out the basic problem of the origin and evolution of the solar system. The potentialities and advantages of selecting ballistically-accessible objects among the newly discovered comets are shown (as a preliminary study). The technique of early detection of such objects is discussed.

Magnetic-Flux-Compression Cooling Using Superconductors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Strayer, Donald M.; Israelsson, Ulf E.; Elleman, Daniel D.

1989-01-01

Proposed magnetic-flux-compression refrigeration system produces final-stage temperatures below 4.2 K. More efficient than mechanical and sorption refrigerators at temperatures in this range. Weighs less than comparable liquid-helium-cooled superconducting magnetic refrigeration systems operating below 4.2 K. Magnetic-flux-compression cooling stage combines advantages of newly discovered superconductors with those of cooling by magnetization and demagnetization of paramagnetic salts.

Heavy metal-binding proteins from metal-stimulated bacteria as a novel adsorbent for metal removal technology.

PubMed

Sano, D; Myojo, K; Omura, T

2006-01-01

Water pollution with toxic heavy metals is of growing concern because heavy metals could bring about serious problems for not only ecosystems in the water environment but also human health. Some metal removal technologies have been in practical use, but much energy and troublesome treatments for chemical wastes are required to operate these conventional technologies. In this study, heavy metal-binding proteins (HMBPs) were obtained from metal-stimulated activated sludge culture with affinity chromatography using copper ion as a ligand. Two-dimensional electrophoresis revealed that a number of proteins in activated sludge culture were recovered as HMBPs for copper ion. N-termini of five HMBPs were determined, and two of them were found to be newly discovered proteins for which no amino acid sequences in protein databases were retrieved at more than 80% identities. Metal-coordinating amino acids occupied 38% of residues in one of the N-terminal sequences of the newly discovered HMBPs. Since these HMBPs were expected to be stable under conditions of water and wastewater treatments, it would be possible to utilize HMBPs as novel adsorbents for heavy metal removal if mass volume of HMBPs can be obtained with protein cloning techniques.

Newly discovered Late Triassic Baqing eclogite in central Tibet indicates an anticlockwise West-East Qiangtang collision.

PubMed

Zhang, Yu-Xiu; Jin, Xin; Zhang, Kai-Jun; Sun, Wei-Dong; Liu, Jian-Ming; Zhou, Xiao-Yao; Yan, Li-Long

2018-01-17

The Triassic eclogite-bearing central Qiangtang metamorphic belt (CQMB) in the northern Tibetan Plateau has been debated whether it is a metamorphic core complex underthrust from the Jinsha Paleo-Tethys or an in-situ Shuanghu suture. The CQMB is thus a key issue to elucidate the crustal architecture of the northern Tibetan Plateau, the tectonics of the eastern Tethys, and the petrogenesis of Cenozoic high-K magmatism. We here report the newly discovered Baqing eclogite along the eastern extension of the CQMB near the Baqing town, central Tibet. These eclogites are characterized by the garnet + omphacite + rutile + phengite + quartz assemblages. Primary eclogite-facies metamorphic pressure-temperature estimates yield consistent minimum pressure of 25 ± 1 kbar at 730 ± 60 °C. U-Pb dating on zircons that contain inclusions (garnet + omphacite + rutile + phengite) gave eclogite-facies metamorphic ages of 223 Ma. The geochemical continental crustal signature and the presence of Paleozoic cores in the zircons indicate that the Baqing eclogite formed by continental subduction and marks an eastward-younging anticlockwise West-East Qiangtang collision along the Shuanghu suture from the Middle to Late Triassic.

The Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fibre Spectroscopic Telescope (LAMOST) Quasar Survey: Quasar Properties from Data Release Two and Three

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dong, X. Y.; Wu, Xue-Bing; Ai, Y. L.; Yang, J. Y.; Yang, Q.; Wang, F.; Zhang, Y. X.; Luo, A. L.; Xu, H.; Yuan, H. L.; Zhang, J. N.; Wang, M. X.; Wang, L. L.; Li, Y. B.; Zuo, F.; Hou, W.; Guo, Y. X.; Kong, X.; Chen, X. Y.; Wu, Y.; Yang, H. F.; Yang, M.

2018-05-01

This is the second installment for the Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fibre Spectroscopic Telescope (LAMOST) Quasar Survey, which includes quasars observed from 2013 September to 2015 June. There are 9024 confirmed quasars in DR2 and 10911 in DR3. After cross-match with the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) quasar catalogs and NED, 12126 quasars are discovered independently. Among them, 2225 quasars were released by SDSS DR12 QSO catalog in 2014 after we finalized the survey candidates. 1801 sources were identified by SDSS DR14 as QSOs. The remaining 8100 quasars are considered as newly founded, and among them, 6887 quasars can be given reliable emission line measurements and the estimated black hole masses. Quasars found in LAMOST are mostly located at low-to-moderate redshifts, with a mean value of 1.5. The highest redshift observed in DR2 and DR3 is 5. We applied emission line measurements to Hα, Hβ, Mg II, and C IV. We deduced the monochromatic continuum luminosities using photometry data, and estimated the virial black hole masses for the newly discovered quasars. Results are compiled into a quasar catalog, which will be available online.

Natural reservoirs for homologs of hepatitis C virus

PubMed Central

Pfaender, Stephanie; Brown, Richard JP; Pietschmann, Thomas; Steinmann, Eike

2014-01-01

Hepatitis C virus is considered a major public health problem, infecting 2%–3% of the human population. Hepatitis C virus infection causes acute and chronic liver disease, including chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. In fact, hepatitis C virus infection is the most frequent indication for liver transplantation and a vaccine is not available. Hepatitis C virus displays a narrow host species tropism, naturally infecting only humans, although chimpanzees are also susceptible to experimental infection. To date, there is no evidence for an animal reservoir of viruses closely related to hepatitis C virus which may have crossed the species barrier to cause disease in humans and resulted in the current pandemic. In fact, due to this restricted host range, a robust immunocompetent small animal model is still lacking, hampering mechanistic analysis of virus pathogenesis, immune control and prophylactic vaccine development. Recently, several studies discovered new viruses related to hepatitis C virus, belonging to the hepaci- and pegivirus genera, in small wild mammals (rodents and bats) and domesticated animals which live in close contact with humans (dogs and horses). Genetic and biological characterization of these newly discovered hepatitis C virus-like viruses infecting different mammals will contribute to our understanding of the origins of hepatitis C virus in humans and enhance our ability to study pathogenesis and immune responses using tractable animal models. In this review article, we start with an introduction on the genetic diversity of hepatitis C virus and then focus on the newly discovered viruses closely related to hepatitis C virus. Finally, we discuss possible theories about the origin of this important viral human pathogen. PMID:26038514

Rivaling the World's Smallest Reptiles: Discovery of Miniaturized and Microendemic New Species of Leaf Chameleons (Brookesia) from Northern Madagascar

PubMed Central

Glaw, Frank; Köhler, Jörn; Townsend, Ted M.; Vences, Miguel

2012-01-01

Background One clade of Malagasy leaf chameleons, the Brookesia minima group, is known to contain species that rank among the smallest amniotes in the world. We report on a previously unrecognized radiation of these miniaturized lizards comprising four new species described herein. Methodology/Principal Findings The newly discovered species appear to be restricted to single, mostly karstic, localities in extreme northern Madagascar: Brookesia confidens sp. n. from Ankarana, B. desperata sp. n. from Forêt d'Ambre, B. micra sp. n. from the islet Nosy Hara, and B. tristis sp. n. from Montagne des Français. Molecular phylogenetic analyses based on one mitochondrial and two nuclear genes of all nominal species in the B. minima group congruently support that the four new species, together with B. tuberculata from Montagne d'Ambre in northern Madagascar, form a strongly supported clade. This suggests that these species have diversified in geographical proximity in this small area. All species of the B. minima group, including the four newly described ones, are characterized by very deep genetic divergences of 18–32% in the ND2 gene and >6% in the 16S rRNA gene. Despite superficial similarities among all species of this group, their status as separate evolutionary lineages is also supported by moderate to strong differences in external morphology, and by clear differences in hemipenis structure. Conclusion/Significance The newly discovered dwarf chameleon species represent striking cases of miniaturization and microendemism and suggest the possibility of a range size-body size relationship in Malagasy reptiles. The newly described Brookesia micra reaches a maximum snout-vent length in males of 16 mm, and its total length in both sexes is less than 30 mm, ranking it among the smallest amniote vertebrates in the world. With a distribution limited to a very small islet, this species may represent an extreme case of island dwarfism. PMID:22348069

Burrowing Owl Monitoring Report for Calendar Year 2012

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

Wilde, Justin W.; Lindsey, Cole T.; Nugent, John J.

The monitoring during 2012 focused on documenting the status of known burrows. Newly identified burrows were documented while examining historical locations, during ecological resource reviews, or discovered during other monitoring efforts. The timing of the monitoring effort allowed staff to perform the surveys without disrupting any breeding or hatching, while also allowing for easy discernment of adults from juveniles, which helped in determining burrow-use type.

A search for artificial signals from the newly discovered planetary systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Biraud, Francois; Heidmann, Jean; Tarter, Jill C.; Airieau, Sabine

1997-01-01

We conducted a search for narrowband artificial signals from the regions of stars around which planetary companions have been recently found: 51 Pegasi, Gliese 229, 70 Virginis, and 47 Ursae Majoris. We used the large Nangay decimetric telescope, with a frequency resolution of 50 Hz, and we scanned over 0.64 and 2.24 MHz respectively around the hydrogen and hydroxyl lines.

Transverse instability of solitary waves in the generalized kadomtsev-petviashvili equation

PubMed

Kataoka; Tsutahara; Negoro

2000-04-03

The linear stability of planar solitary waves with respect to long-wavelength transverse perturbations is studied in the framework of the generalized Kadomtsev-Petviashvili equation. It is newly discovered that for some nonlinearities in this family, the solitary waves could be transversely unstable even in a medium with negative dispersion. In the case of positive dispersion, they are found to be always unstable.

A new species of Megaperlodes Yokoyama et al. 1990 (Plecoptera, Perlodidae) from the South of the Russian Far East.

PubMed

Teslenko, Valentina A

2015-01-08

A new species of Plecoptera Megaperlodes tiunovi sp. n., from the South of the Russian Far East is described and illustrated. The relationships with its close relatives are discussed. Newly discovered features are added to the diagnosis of the genus Megaperlodes, especially previously overlooked eversible lobes within the paraprocts, egg structure, and wing venation.

Determination of the distance to SWIFT J0243.6+6124

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bikmaev, I.; Shimansky, V.; Irtuganov, E.; Glushkov, M.; Sakhibullin, N.; Khamitov, I.; Burenin, R.; Lutovinov, A.; Zaznobin, I.; Pavlinsky, M.; Sunyaev, R.; Dodonov, S.; Afanasiev, V.; Kotov, S.; Doroshenko, V.; Tsygankov, S.

2017-11-01

We have performed an optical photometry and spectroscopy of the Be counterpart of a newly discovered transient X-Ray pulsar SWIFT J0243.6+6124 (Kennea et al, 2017, ATel #10809) using facilities of the 1.5-meter Russian-Turkish telescope (RTT-150, TUBITAK National Observatory, Antalya, Turkey) and the 6-meter Russian telescope (BTA, Special Astrophysical Observatory of the Russian Academy of Sciences).

Descriptions of four new species of Struthoscelis Meyrick (Lepidoptera: Oecophoridae: Oecophorinae), one from Area de Conservación Guanacaste, Northwestern Costa Rica, providing the first known biology for the genus

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

We add three species to the known fauna: Struthoscelis christianafigueresae new species, Struthoscelis konia new species, and Struthoscelis solamarita new species. We report the first known biology for a species of Struthoscelis and rediagnose the genus based on newly discovered morphology including...

B.R.N.O. Contributions #40 Times of minima

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Juryšek, J.; Hoňková, K.; Šmelcer, L.; Mašek, M.; Lehký, M.; Bílek, F.; Mazanec, J.; Hanžl, D.; Magris, M.; Nosál, P.; Bragagnolo, U.; Medulka, T.; Vraš&tacute; ák, M.; Urbaník, M.; Auer, R. F.; Sergey, I.; Jacobsen, J.; Alessandroni, M. R.; Andreatta, C.; Antonio, Ch. F.; Artola, R.; Audejean, M.; Balanzino, L.; Banfi, M.; Bazán, R. S.; Borgonovo, M.; Cagaš, P.; Čaloud, J.; Campos, F.; Čapková, H.; Černíková, V.; Červinka, L.; Chiavassa, A.; Dřevěný, R.; Durantini, L. H.; Ferraro, M. E.; Ferrero, G.; Girardini, C.; Gudmundsson, S.; Guzzo, P.; Guevara, N.; Hladík, B.; Horník, M.; Jakš, S.; Janoštiak, L.; Jelínek, M.; Kalášek, J.; Kalmbach, R.; Kubica, T.; Kučáková, H.; Liška, J.; Lomoz, F.; López, O. Ch.; Lovato, B. M.; Morero, S.; Mrllák, R.; Mrňák, P.; Persha, G.; Pignata, R.; Pintr, P.; Popov, A.; Portillo, L. F. T.; Quiñones, C.; Rodriguez, E.; Ruocco, N.; Scaggiante, F.; Scavuzzo, A.; Šebela, P.; Šimkovič, S.; Školník, V.; Skubák, P.; Smolka, M.; Špecián, M.; Šuchaň, J.; Tornatore, M.; Trnka, J.; Tylšar, M.; Walter, F.; Zardin, D.; Zejda, M.; Zíbar, M.; Ziková, A.

2017-03-01

This paper presents 3394 times of minima for 1096 objects acquired by 82 members and cooperating observers of the Variable Star and Exoplanet Section of the Czech Astronomical Society (B.R.N.O. Observing project). Observations were carried out between October 2014 and November 2016. Some newly discovered stars by the observers of project B.R.N.O. are included in the list.

A newly discovered impact crater in Titan's Senkyo: Cassini VIMS observations and comparison with other impact features

USGS Publications Warehouse

Buratti, B.J.; Sotin, Christophe; Lawrence, K.; Brown, R.H.; Le, Mouelic S.; Soderblom, J.M.; Barnes, J.; Clark, R.N.; Baines, K.H.; Nicholson, P.D.

2012-01-01

Senkyo is an equatorial plain on Titan filled with dunes and surrounded by hummocky plateaus. During the Titan targeted flyby T61 on August 25, 2009, the Cassini Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) onboard the Cassini spacecraft observed a circular feature, centered at 5.4?? N and 341??W, that superimposes the dune fields and a bright plateau. This circular feature, which has been named Paxsi by the International Astronomical Union, is 120??10 km in diameter (measured from the outer edge of the crater rim) and exhibits a central bright area that can be interpreted as the central peak or pit of an impact crater. Although there are only a handful of certain impact craters on Titan, there are two other craters that are of similar size to this newly discovered feature and that have been studied by VIMS: Sinlap (Le Mou??lic et al, 2008) and Selk (Soderblom et al, 2010). Sinlap is associated with a large downwind, fan-like feature that may have been formed from an impact plume that rapidly expanded and deposited icy particles onto the surface. Although much of the surrounding region is covered with dunes, the plume region is devoid of dunes. The formation process of Selk also appears to have removed (or covered up) dunes from parts of the adjacent dune-filled terrain. The circular feature on Senkyo is quite different: there is no evidence of an ejecta blanket and the crater itself appears to be infilled with dune material. The rim of the crater appears to be eroded by fluvial processes; at one point the rim is breached. The rim is unusually narrow, which may be due to mass wasting on its inside and subsequent infill by dunes. Based on these observations, we interpret this newly discovered feature to be a more eroded crater than both Sinlap and Selk. Paxsi may have formed during a period when Titan was warmer and more ductile than it is currently. ?? 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Long-term mortality after community-acquired pneumonia--impacts of diabetes and newly discovered hyperglycaemia: a prospective, observational cohort study.

PubMed

Koskela, Heikki O; Salonen, Päivi H; Romppanen, Jarkko; Niskanen, Leo

2014-08-21

Community-acquired pneumonia is associated with a significant long-term mortality after initial recovery. It has been acknowledged that additional research is urgently needed to examine the contributors to this long-term mortality. The objective of the present study was to assess whether diabetes or newly discovered hyperglycaemia during pneumonia affects long-term mortality. A prospective, observational cohort study. A single secondary centre in eastern Finland. 153 consecutive hospitalised patients who survived at least 30 days after mild-to-moderate community-acquired pneumonia. Plasma glucose levels were recorded seven times during the first day on the ward. Several possible confounders were also recorded. The surveillance status and causes of death were recorded after median of 5 years and 11 months. In multivariate Cox regression analysis, a previous diagnosis of diabetes among the whole population (adjusted HR 2.84 (1.35-5.99)) and new postprandial hyperglycaemia among the non-diabetic population (adjusted HR 2.56 (1.04-6.32)) showed independent associations with late mortality. New fasting hyperglycaemia was not an independent predictor. The mortality rates at the end of follow-up were 54%, 37% and 10% among patients with diabetes, patients without diabetes with new postprandial hyperglycaemia and patients without diabetes without postprandial hyperglycaemia, respectively (p<0.001). The underlying causes of death roughly mirrored those in the Finnish general population with a slight excess in mortality due to chronic respiratory diseases. Pneumonia was the immediate cause of death in just 8% of all late deaths. A previous diagnosis of diabetes and newly discovered postprandial hyperglycaemia increase the risk of death for several years after community-acquired pneumonia. As the knowledge about patient subgroups with an increased late mortality risk is gradually gathering, more studies are needed to evaluate the possible postpneumonia interventions to reduce late mortality. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Minor Planet Center Data Processing Challenges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rudenko, Michael

2015-08-01

The Minor Planet Center (MPC) is the single worldwide location for receipt and distribution of positional measurements of minor planets, comets and outer irregular natural satellites of the major planets. The MPC is responsible for the identification, designation and orbit computation for all of these objects.Over 2 million observations are received each month via the internet, and are validated and processed in near real time. The observations come in batches whose formats are checked and whose observations are run through a number of other routine checks such as departure from great circle motion, prior publication, single observations, near duplicates, etc. Some or all of a batch of observations may be returned to its sender if they fail one or more of the checks. After the observations have been validated, they are processed to produce orbits of newly discovered objects or used to update the orbits of known objects.Given the volume of observations, the sheer number of known objects against which to possibly match, the shortness of the time interval over which each object was likely observed, and the uncertainties in the positions, and occasionally possible errors in times, reported, a number of data processing challenges face the MPC. These include the following: Identifying observations of objects reported as new with already known objects; linking together sets of observations from different nights (possibly at different apparitions) which may belong to the same object; determining if a set of observations has been assigned to the wrong object; determining if an object with a very short arc is possibly a Near-Earth object; determining and examining the range of possible variant orbits of newly discovered Near-Earth objects with very short observation arcs for cases which indicate an object is potentially on a collision course with Earth; linking observations to known artificial satellites and/or booster stages and other space "junk"; prioritizing newly discovered objects in order of need of follow up; and, efficiently matching one or more observations with known objects (MPChecker web service), possibly of observations in the distant past.

Cross-spectrum measurement of thermal-noise limited oscillators.

PubMed

Hati, A; Nelson, C W; Howe, D A

2016-03-01

Cross-spectrum analysis is a commonly used technique for the detection of phase and amplitude noise of a signal in the presence of interfering uncorrelated noise. Recently, we demonstrated that the phase-inversion (anti-correlation) effect due to amplitude noise leakage can cause complete or partial collapse of the cross-spectral function. In this paper, we discuss the newly discovered effect of anti-correlated thermal noise that originates from the common-mode power divider (splitter), an essential component in a cross-spectrum noise measurement system. We studied this effect for different power splitters and discuss its influence on the measurement of thermal-noise limited oscillators. We provide theory, simulation and experimental results. In addition, we expand this study to reveal how the presence of ferrite-isolators and amplifiers at the output ports of the power splitters can affect the oscillator noise measurements. Finally, we discuss a possible solution to overcome this problem.

Bioinspired Surface for Low Drag, Self-Cleaning, and Antifouling: Shark Skin, Butterfly and Rice Leaf Effects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bixler, Gregroy D.

In this thesis, first presented is an overview of inorganic-fouling and biofouling which is generally undesirable for many medical, marine, and industrial applications. A survey of nature's flora and fauna are studied in order to discover new antifouling methods that could be mimicked for engineering applications. New antifouling methods will presumably incorporate a combination of physical and chemical controls. Presented are mechanisms and experimental results focusing on laminar and turbulent drag reducing shark skin inspired riblet surfaces. This includes new laser etched and riblet film samples for closed channel drag using water, oil, and air as well as in wind tunnel. Also presented are mechanisms and experimental results focusing on the newly discovered rice and butterfly wing effect surfaces. Morphology, drag, self-cleaning, contact angle, and contact angle hysteresis data are presented to understand the role of sample geometrical dimensions, wettability, viscosity, and velocity. Hierarchical liquid repellent coatings combining nano- and micro-sized features and particles are utilized to recreate or combine various effects. Such surfaces have been fabricated with photolithography, soft lithography, hot embossing, and coating techniques. Discussion is provided along with new conceptual models describing the role of surface structures related to low drag, self-cleaning, and antifouling properties. Modeling provides design guidance when developing novel low drag and self-cleaning surfaces for medical, marine, and industrial applications.

Kepler-90 system (Artist's Concept)

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-14

Our solar system now is tied for most number of planets around a single star, with the recent discovery of an eighth planet circling Kepler-90, a Sun-like star 2,545 light years from Earth. The planet was discovered in data from NASA's Kepler Space Telescope. The newly-discovered Kepler-90i -- a sizzling hot, rocky planet that orbits its star once every 14.4 days -- was found using machine learning from Google. Machine learning is an approach to artificial intelligence in which computers "learn." In this case, computers learned to identify planets by finding in Kepler data instances where the telescope recorded changes in starlight caused by planets beyond our solar system, known as exoplanets. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA22192

Anatomical Confirmation of Computed Tomography-Based Diagnosis of the Atherosclerosis Discovered in 17th Century Korean Mummy

PubMed Central

Kim, Myeung Ju; Kim, Yi-Suk; Oh, Chang Seok; Go, Jai-Hyang; Lee, In Sun; Park, Won-Kyu; Cho, Seok-Min; Kim, Soon-Kwan; Shin, Dong Hoon

2015-01-01

In the present study on a newly discovered 17th century Korean mummy, computed tomography (CT) revealed multiple aortic calcifications within the aortic wall that were indicative of ancient atherosclerosis. The CT-based findings were confirmed by our subsequent post-factum dissection, which exhibited possible signs of the disease including ulcerated plaques, ruptured hemorrhages, and intimal thickening where the necrotic core was covered by the fibrous cap. These findings are strong indicators that the mummy suffered from aortic atherosclerosis during her lifetime. The present study is a good example of how CT images of vascular calcifications can be a useful diagnostic tool in forming at least preliminary diagnoses of ancient atherosclerosis. PMID:25816014

A low-temperature companion to a white dwarf star

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Becklin, E. E.; Zuckerman, B.

1988-01-01

An infrared object located about 120 AU from the white dwarf GD165 has been discovered. With the exception of the possible brown dwarf companion to Giclas 29-38 reported last year, the companion to GD165 is the coolest (2100 K) dwarf star ever reported and, according to some theoretical models, it should be a substellar brown dwarf with a mass between 0.06 and 0.08 solar mass. These results, together with newly discovered low-mass stellar companions to white dwarfs, change the investigation of very low-mass stars from the study of a few chance objects to that of a statistical distribution. In particular, it appears that very low-mass stars and perhaps even brown dwarfs could be quite common in the Galaxy.

Identification and preliminary characterization of a protein motif related to the zinc finger.

PubMed Central

Lovering, R; Hanson, I M; Borden, K L; Martin, S; O'Reilly, N J; Evan, G I; Rahman, D; Pappin, D J; Trowsdale, J; Freemont, P S

1993-01-01

We have identified a protein motif, related to the zinc finger, which defines a newly discovered family of proteins. The motif was found in the sequence of the human RING1 gene, which is proximal to the major histocompatibility complex region on chromosome six. We propose naming this motif the "RING finger" and it is found in 27 proteins, all of which have putative DNA binding functions. We have synthesized a peptide corresponding to the RING1 motif and examined a number of properties, including metal and DNA binding. We provide evidence to support the suggestion that the RING finger motif is the DNA binding domain of this newly defined family of proteins. Images Fig. 1 Fig. 4 PMID:7681583

Biaxiality in Nematic and Smectic Liquid Crystals. Final Report

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

Kumar, Satyendra; Li, Quan; Srinivasarao, Mohan

2017-01-24

During the award period, the project team explored several phenomena in a diverse group of soft condensed matter systems. These include understanding of the structure of the newly discovered twist-bend nematic phase, solving the mystery of de Vries smectic phases, probing of interesting associations and defect structures in chromonic liquid crystalline systems, dispersions of ferroelectric nanoparticles in smectic liquid crystals, investigations of newly synthesized light sensitive and energy harvesting materials with highly desirable transport properties. Our findings are summarized in the following report followed by a list of 36 publications and 37 conference presentations. We achieved this with the supportmore » of Basic Sciences Division of the US DOE for which we are thankful.« less

Quasars in the Galactic Anti-Center Area from LAMOST DR3

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huo, Zhi-Ying; Liu, Xiao-Wei; Shi, Jian-Rong; Xiang, Mao-Sheng; Huang, Yang; Yuan, Hai-Bo; Zhang, Jian-Nan; Zhang, Wei; Wang, Jian-Ling; Wu, Yu-Zhong; Cao, Zi-Huang; Zhang, Yong; Hou, Yong-Hui; Wang, Yue-Fei

2017-03-01

We present a sample of quasars discovered in an area near the Galactic Anti-Center covering 150^\\circ ≤ l≤ 210^\\circ and | b| ≤ 30^\\circ , based on LAMOST Data Release 3 (DR3). This sample contains 151 spectroscopically confirmed quasars. Among them 80 are newly discovered with LAMOST. All these quasars are very bright, with i magnitudes peaking around 17.5 mag. All the new quasars were discovered serendipitously from objects that were originally targeted with LAMOST as stars having bluer colors, except for a few candidates targeted as variable, young stellar objects. This bright quasar sample at low Galactic latitudes will help fill the gap in the spatial distribution of known quasars near the Galactic disk that are used to construct an astrometric reference frame for the purpose of accurate proper motion measurements that can be applied to, for example, Gaia. They are also excellent tracers to probe the kinematics and chemistry of the interstellar medium in the Milky Way disk and halo via absorption line spectroscopy.

Big Mysteries: The Higgs Mass

ScienceCinema

Lincoln, Don

2018-01-16

With the discovery of what looks to be the Higgs boson, LHC researchers are turning their attention to the next big question, which is the predicted mass of the newly discovered particles. When the effects of quantum mechanics is taken into account, the mass of the Higgs boson should be incredibly high...perhaps upwards of a quadrillion times higher than what was observed. In this video, Fermilab's Dr. Don Lincoln explains how it is that the theory predicts that the mass is so large and gives at least one possible theoretical idea that might solve the problem. Whether the proposed idea is the answer or not, this question must be answered by experiments at the LHC or today's entire theoretical paradigm could be in jeopardy.

Chemical communication in the dacetine antDaceton armigerum (Hymenoptera: Formicidae).

PubMed

Hölldobler, B; Palmer, J M; Moffett, M W

1990-04-01

Contrary to previous assumptions,Daceton armigerum, the largest ant in the myrmicine tribe Dacetini, employs trail communication. We identified two anatomical sources of trail pheromones: Trails drawn with poison gland contents can last for more than seven days. Trails drawn with the newly discovered sternal glands (in the VIth and VIIth abdominal sternites) are effective but relatively short-lived. In addition, our bioassays revealed that the contents of the mandibular glands elicit alarm behavior, and secretions from the pygidial gland release attraction. When tested with artificial poison gland trails from seven other myrmicine species,Daceton did not exhibit trail following behavior. We confirmed, however, previous findings thatAtta respond toDaceton poison gland trails andSolenopsis followDaceton Dufour's gland trails.

Big Mysteries: The Higgs Mass

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

Lincoln, Don

2014-04-28

With the discovery of what looks to be the Higgs boson, LHC researchers are turning their attention to the next big question, which is the predicted mass of the newly discovered particles. When the effects of quantum mechanics is taken into account, the mass of the Higgs boson should be incredibly high...perhaps upwards of a quadrillion times higher than what was observed. In this video, Fermilab's Dr. Don Lincoln explains how it is that the theory predicts that the mass is so large and gives at least one possible theoretical idea that might solve the problem. Whether the proposed ideamore » is the answer or not, this question must be answered by experiments at the LHC or today's entire theoretical paradigm could be in jeopardy.« less

Regulation of DNA Alkylation Damage Repair: Lessons and Therapeutic Opportunities

PubMed Central

Soll, Jennifer M.; Sobol, Robert W.; Mosammaparast, Nima

2016-01-01

Alkylation chemotherapy is one of the most widely used systemic therapies for cancer. While somewhat effective, clinical responses and toxicities of these agents are highly variable. A major contributing factor for this variability is the numerous distinct lesions that are created upon alkylation damage. These adducts activate multiple repair pathways. There is mounting evidence that the individual pathways function cooperatively, suggesting that coordinated regulation of alkylation repair is critical to prevent toxicity. Furthermore, some alkylating agents produce adducts that overlap with newly discovered methylation marks, making it difficult to distinguish between bona fide damaged bases and so called ‘epigenetic’ adducts. We discuss new efforts aimed at deciphering the mechanisms that regulate these repair pathways, emphasizing their implications for cancer chemotherapy. PMID:27816326

Scientific Encounters of the Insect World. Reading Activities That Explore Nature's Fascinating Insects. A Good Apple Science Activity Book for Grades 4-7.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Embry, Lynn

Insects comprise the largest group of animals in the world and newly discovered ones are being added to the list every year. The habits of even the most common insects are interesting to observe. This book introduces insects that many children will be able to observe in their environments. Interesting information is presented to help children…

Pantheon of Planets Similar to Earth Artist Concept

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-07-23

A newly discovered exoplanet, Kepler-452b, comes the closest of any found so far to matching our Earth-sun system. This artist's conception of a planetary lineup shows habitable-zone planets with similarities to Earth: from left, Kepler-22b, Kepler-69c, the just announced Kepler-452b, Kepler-62f and Kepler-186f. Last in line is Earth itself. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA19830

The expanding polymerase universe.

PubMed

Goodman, M F; Tippin, B

2000-11-01

Over the past year, the number of known prokaryotic and eukaryotic DNA polymerases has exploded. Many of these newly discovered enzymes copy aberrant bases in the DNA template over which 'respectable' polymerases fear to tread. The next step is to unravel their functions, which are thought to range from error-prone copying of DNA lesions, somatic hypermutation and avoidance of skin cancer, to restarting stalled replication forks and repairing double-stranded DNA breaks.

Clinical characteristics of children with fever and transient neutropenia who experience serious bacterial infections.

PubMed

Bonadio, W A; Stremski, E; Shallow, K

1989-09-01

A review of consecutive previously healthy children with fever and newly discovered neutropenia without underlying malignancy, evaluated during a three-year period, was performed. A total of 68 episodes occurred in 68 patients; blood culture was performed on each. Of 17 patients who appeared compromised (ill, irritable, toxic) on presentation, five (30%) had either bacteremia or bacterial meningitis. All five patients had clinical evidence of a fulminant disease process on examination. By contrast, all 51 patients who appeared to be well on presentation were culture-negative. Fever and new-onset neutropenia in children is a heterogeneous disorder with several outcomes. Any child with fever and newly discovered neutropenia who appears ill should be presumed to be at high risk for systemic bacterial infection and receive hospitalization for parenteral antibiotic therapy. By contrast, the previously healthy child older than two months of age with fever and new-onset neutropenia who appears to be well, and whose clinical evaluation does not indicate a serious underlying disease process, is at low risk for accompanying systemic bacterial infection; hospitalization with empiric antibiotic therapy pending culture results is not warranted for the majority of such children. Close outpatient monitoring with serial evaluation of the peripheral blood absolute neutrophil count to document bone marrow recovery is recommended for such cases.

A Checklist of Chigger Mites (Acari: Trombiculidae and Leeuwenhökiidae) From Taiwan, With Descriptions of Three New Species.

PubMed

Chung, Lo-Hsuan; Wu, Wen-Jer; Kuo, Chi-Chien; Wang, Hsi-Chieh

2015-11-01

Scrub typhus is a lethal human disease transmitted by larval trombiculid mites (i.e., chiggers) that have been infected with the rickettsia Orientia tsutsugamushi. In total, 21 chigger species are known from Taiwan. We update the checklist of chiggers of Taiwan based on an intensive survey of shrew and rodent hosts in grasslands and agricultural fields in lowland Taiwan, coupled with surveys of forests in one mountainous site and an opportunistic examination of submitted host specimens. Three new species of chiggers, Gahrliepia (Gateria) lieni sp. n., Gahrliepia (Gateria) minuta sp. n., and Gahrliepia (Gateria) yilanensis sp. n., as well as 23 newly recorded chigger species, were discovered. Accordingly, recorded chigger species of Taiwan more than doubled from 21 to 47 species. Two new species and nine newly recorded chigger species were discovered in forests in one mountainous site in northeastern Taiwan, suggesting that many more chigger species may be uncovered, particularly in mountainous Taiwan. Further studies should also investigate O. tsutsugamushi infection in different chigger species to assess its risks to human health. © The Authors 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Emergence of a New Pathogenic Ehrlichia Species, Wisconsin and Minnesota, 2009

PubMed Central

Pritt, Bobbi S.; Sloan, Lynne M.; Johnson, Diep K. Hoang; Munderloh, Ulrike G.; Paskewitz, Susan M.; McElroy, Kristina M.; McFadden, Jevon D.; Binnicker, Matthew J.; Neitzel, David F.; Liu, Gongping; Nicholson, William L.; Nelson, Curtis M.; Franson, Joni J.; Martin, Scott A.; Cunningham, Scott A.; Steward, Christopher R.; Bogumill, Kay; Bjorgaard, Mary E.; Davis, Jeffrey P.; McQuiston, Jennifer H.; Warshauer, David M.; Wilhelm, Mark P.; Patel, Robin; Trivedi, Vipul A.; Eremeeva, Marina E.

2012-01-01

Background Ehrlichiosis is a clinically important, emerging zoonosis. Only Ehrlichia chaffeensis and E. ewingii have been thought to cause ehrlichiosis in humans in the United States. Patients with suspected ehrlichiosis routinely undergo testing to ensure proper diagnosis and to ascertain the cause. Methods We used molecular methods, culturing, and serologic testing to diagnose and ascertain the cause of cases of ehrlichiosis. Results On testing, four cases of ehrlichiosis in Minnesota or Wisconsin were found not to be from E. chaffeensis or E. ewingii and instead to be caused by a newly discovered ehrlichia species. All patients had fever, malaise, headache, and lymphopenia; three had thrombocytopenia; and two had elevated liver-enzyme levels. All recovered after receiving doxycycline treatment. At least 17 of 697 Ixodes scapularis ticks collected in Minnesota or Wisconsin were positive for the same ehrlichia species on polymerase-chain-reaction testing. Genetic analyses revealed that this new ehrlichia species is closely related to E. muris. Conclusions We report a new ehrlichia species in Minnesota and Wisconsin and provide supportive clinical, epidemiologic, culture, DNA-sequence, and vector data. Physicians need to be aware of this newly discovered close relative of E. muris to ensure appropriate testing, treatment, and regional surveillance. (Funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.) PMID:21812671

A diminutive new species of cave-dwelling Wolf Snake (Colubridae: Lycodon Boie, 1826) from Peninsular Malaysia.

PubMed

Grismer, L Lee; Quah, Evan S H; Anuar M S, Shahrul; Muin, Mohd Abdul; Wood, Perry L; Nor, Siti Azizah Mohd

2014-06-12

A newly discovered, diminutive, cave-dwelling, lowland species of the colubrid snake genus Lycodon Boie is described from a limestone cave along the Thai-Malaysian border in the state of Perlis, northwestern Peninsular Malaysia. Lycodon cavernicolus sp. nov. is most closely related to L. butleri Boulenger, an endemic, upland, forest-dwelling species from Peninsular Malaysia of the fasciatus group but is separated from L. butleri and all other species of the L. fasciatus group and the closely related L. ruhstrati group by having the combination of 245 (male) and 232 (female) ventral scales; 113 (male) and 92 (female) paired, subcaudal scales; a single precloacal plate; nine or 10 supralabials; 10 or 11 infralabials; a maximum total length of 508 mm (female); a relative tail length of 0.25-0.27; an immaculate venter in juveniles and dark-brown, posterior, ventral scale margins in adults; and dorsal and caudal bands in juveniles white. The discovery of L. cavernicolus sp. nov. adds to a rapidly growing list of newly discovered reptiles from karst regions and limestone forests of Peninsular Malaysia, underscoring the fact that these areas should be studied before they are quarried as they harbor a significant portion of the Peninsular Malaysia's herpetological diversity.

Feasibility of dsRNA treatment for post-clearing SPF shrimp stocks of newly discovered viral infections using Laem Singh virus (LSNV) as a model.

PubMed

Saksmerprome, Vanvimon; Charoonnart, Patai; Flegel, Timothy W

2017-05-02

Using post-larvae derived from specific pathogen free (SPF) stocks in penaeid shrimp farming has led to a dramatic increase in production. At the same time, new pathogens of farmed shrimp are continually being discovered. Sometimes these pathogens are carried by shrimp and other crustaceans as persistent infections without gross signs of disease. Thus it is that a 5-generation stock of Penaeus monodon SPF for several pathogens was found, post-stock-development, to be persistently-infected with newly-discovered Laem Singh virus (LSNV). In this situation, the stock developers were faced with destroying their existing stock (developed over a long period at considerable cost) and starting the whole stock development process anew in order to add LSNV to its SPF list. As an alternative, it was hypothesized that injection of complementary dsRNA into viral-infected broodstock prior to mating might inhibit replication of the target virus sufficiently to reduce or eliminate its transmission to their offspring. Subsequent selection of uninfected offspring would allow for post-clearing of LSNV from the existing stock and for conversion of the stock to LSNV-free status. Testing this hypothesis using the LSNV-infected stock described above, we found that transmission was substantially reduced in several treated broodstock compared to much higher transmission in buffer-injected broodstock. Based on these results, the model is proposed for post-clearing of SPF stocks using dsRNA treatment. The model may also be applicable to post-clearing of exceptional, individual performers from grow-out ponds for return to a nucleus breeding center. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A newly discovered Bordetella species carries a transcriptionally active CRISPR-Cas with a small Cas9 endonuclease.

PubMed

Ivanov, Yury V; Shariat, Nikki; Register, Karen B; Linz, Bodo; Rivera, Israel; Hu, Kai; Dudley, Edward G; Harvill, Eric T

2015-10-26

Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) and CRISPR-associated genes (cas) are widely distributed among bacteria. These systems provide adaptive immunity against mobile genetic elements specified by the spacer sequences stored within the CRISPR. The CRISPR-Cas system has been identified using Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST) against other sequenced and annotated genomes and confirmed via CRISPRfinder program. Using Polymerase Chain Reactions (PCR) and Sanger DNA sequencing, we discovered CRISPRs in additional bacterial isolates of the same species of Bordetella. Transcriptional activity and processing of the CRISPR have been assessed via RT-PCR. Here we describe a novel Type II-C CRISPR and its associated genes-cas1, cas2, and cas9-in several isolates of a newly discovered Bordetella species. The CRISPR-cas locus, which is absent in all other Bordetella species, has a significantly lower GC-content than the genome-wide average, suggesting acquisition of this locus via horizontal gene transfer from a currently unknown source. The CRISPR array is transcribed and processed into mature CRISPR RNAs (crRNA), some of which have homology to prophages found in closely related species B. hinzii. Expression of the CRISPR-Cas system and processing of crRNAs with perfect homology to prophages present in closely related species, but absent in that containing this CRISPR-Cas system, suggest it provides protection against phage predation. The 3,117-bp cas9 endonuclease gene from this novel CRISPR-Cas system is 990 bp smaller than that of Streptococcus pyogenes, the 4,017-bp allele currently used for genome editing, and which may make it a useful tool in various CRISPR-Cas technologies.

Genomics and introgression: discovery and mapping of thousands of species-diagnostic SNPs using RAD sequencing

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hand, Brian K.; Hether, Tyler D; Kovach, Ryan P.; Muhlfeld, Clint C.; Amish, Stephen J.; Boyer, Matthew C.; O’Rourke, Sean M.; Miller, Michael R.; Lowe, Winsor H.; Hohenlohe, Paul A.; Luikart, Gordon

2015-01-01

Invasive hybridization and introgression pose a serious threat to the persistence of many native species. Understanding the effects of hybridization on native populations (e.g., fitness consequences) requires numerous species-diagnostic loci distributed genome-wide. Here we used RAD sequencing to discover thousands of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that are diagnostic between rainbow trout (RBT, Oncorhynchus mykiss), the world’s most widely introduced fish, and native westslope cutthroat trout (WCT, O. clarkii lewisi) in the northern Rocky Mountains, USA. We advanced previous work that identified 4,914 species-diagnostic loci by using longer sequence reads (100 bp vs. 60 bp) and a larger set of individuals (n = 84). We sequenced RAD libraries for individuals from diverse sampling sources, including native populations of WCT and hatchery broodstocks of WCT and RBT. We also took advantage of a newly released reference genome assembly for RBT to align our RAD loci. In total, we discovered 16,788 putatively diagnostic SNPs, 10,267 of which we mapped to anchored chromosome locations on the RBT genome. A small portion of previously discovered putative diagnostic loci (325 of 4,914) were no longer diagnostic (i.e., fixed between species) based on our wider survey of non-hybridized RBT and WCT individuals. Our study suggests that RAD loci mapped to a draft genome assembly could provide the marker density required to identify genes and chromosomal regions influencing selection in admixed populations of conservation concern and evolutionary interest.

Efficacy of newly formulated ointment containing 20% active antimicrobial honey in treatment of burn wound infections.

PubMed

Tasleem, Samiyah; Naqvi, Syed Baqir Shyum; Khan, Saadat Ali; Hashmi, Khursheed

2013-01-01

Honey has been familiar to possess antimicrobial potential to clear infection against burn wound infecting bacteria since ancient times. The objective of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of the newly formulated honey ointment during the treatment of burn wound infections. The Experimental (Non comparative) study was conducted at outpatient department of Dermatology, Fauji Foundation Hospital, Rawalpindi from November 2009 to October 2010. The antimicrobial activity of different Pakistani floral sources (Acacia nilotica species indica, Zizyphus, Helianthus annuus and Carisa opaca) honey samples were investigated by disc diffusion method against freshly isolated burn wounds infecting bacteria. Ointment containing 20% active antimicrobial honey was formulated as a sovereign remedy. A total number of twenty patients with second degree of burn wounds on different parts of the body were studied. A thin layer of honey ointment on gauze was applied to the wounds two to three times a day up to the complete healing. During microbiological study, Pakistani honey samples were discovered to exhibit a very promising antimicrobial activity against all the wound infecting microorganisms tested. Clinical trials demonstrated that the topical application of honey ointment have significant control of infections arising form pathogenic bacteria and up to 100% healing results were observed in all burn wound cases within mean healing time for the duration of 8.15 (3-18) days time period. Newly formulated ointment containing 20% active antimicrobial honey is more effective and low-cost alternative preparation for the treatment of burn wound infections.

Power Law Distributions in Two Community Currencies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kichiji, N.; Nishibe, M.

2007-07-01

The purpose of this paper is to highlight certain newly discovered social phenomena that accord with Zipf's law, in addition to the famous natural and social phenomena including word frequencies, earthquake magnitude, city size, income1 etc. that are already known to follow it. These phenomena have recently been discovered within the transaction amount (payments or receipts) distributions within two different Community Currencies (CC) that had been initiated as social experiments. One is a local CC circulating in a specific geographical area, such as a town. The other is a virtual CC used among members who belong to a certain community of interest (COI) on the Internet. We conducted two empirical studies to estimate the economic vitalization effects they had on their respective local economies. The results we found were that the amount of transactions (payments and receipts) of the two CCs was distributed according to a power-law distribution with a unity rank exponent. In addition, we found differences between the two CCs with regard to the shapes of their distribution over a low-transaction range. The result may originate from the difference in methods of issuing CCs or in the magnitudes of the minimum-value unit; however, this result calls for further investigation.

The Arbo‑zoonet Information System.

PubMed

Di Lorenzo, Alessio; Di Sabatino, Daria; Blanda, Valeria; Cioci, Daniela; Conte, Annamaria; Bruno, Rossana; Sauro, Francesca; Calistri, Paolo; Savini, Lara

2016-06-30

The Arbo‑zoonet Information System has been developed as part of the 'International Network for Capacity Building for the Control of Emerging Viral Vector Borne Zoonotic Diseases (Arbo‑zoonet)' project. The project aims to create common knowledge, sharing data, expertise, experiences, and scientific information on West Nile Disease (WND), Crimean‑Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF), and Rift Valley fever (RVF). These arthropod‑borne diseases of domestic and wild animals can affect humans, posing great threat to public health. Since November 2011, when the Schmallenberg virus (SBV) has been discovered for the first time in Northern Europe, the Arbo‑zoonet Information System has been used in order to collect information on newly discovered disease and to manage the epidemic emergency. The system monitors the geographical distribution and epidemiological evolution of CCHF, RVF, and WND since 1946. More recently, it has also been deployed to monitor the SBV data. The Arbo‑zoonet Information System includes a web application for the management of the database in which data are stored and a WebGIS application to explore spatial disease distributions, facilitating the epidemiological analysis. The WebGIS application is an effective tool to show and share the information and to facilitate the exchange and dissemination of relevant data among project's participants.

The LAMOST survey of background quasars in the vicinity of the Andromeda and Triangulum galaxies. II. Results from the commissioning observations and the pilot surveys

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

Huo, Zhi-Ying; Bai, Zhong-Rui; Chen, Jian-Jun

We present new quasars discovered in the vicinity of the Andromeda and Triangulum galaxies with the Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fiber Spectroscopic Telescope, also named the Guoshoujing Telescope, during the 2010 and 2011 observational seasons. Quasar candidates are selected based on the available Sloan Digital Sky Survey, Kitt Peak National Observatory 4 m telescope, Xuyi Schmidt Telescope Photometric Survey optical, and Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer near-infrared photometric data. We present 509 new quasars discovered in a stripe of ∼135 deg{sup 2} from M31 to M33 along the Giant Stellar Stream in the 2011 pilot survey data sets, and also 17more » new quasars discovered in an area of ∼100 deg{sup 2} that covers the central region and the southeastern halo of M31 in the 2010 commissioning data sets. These 526 new quasars have i magnitudes ranging from 15.5 to 20.0, redshifts from 0.1 to 3.2. They represent a significant increase of the number of identified quasars in the vicinity of M31 and M33. There are now 26, 62, and 139 known quasars in this region of the sky with i magnitudes brighter than 17.0, 17.5, and 18.0, respectively, of which 5, 20, and 75 are newly discovered. These bright quasars provide an invaluable collection with which to probe the kinematics and chemistry of the interstellar/intergalactic medium in the Local Group of galaxies. A total of 93 quasars are now known with locations within 2.°5 of M31, of which 73 are newly discovered. Tens of quasars are now known to be located behind the Giant Stellar Stream, and hundreds are behind the extended halo and its associated substructures of M31. The much enlarged sample of known quasars in the vicinity of M31 and M33 can potentially be utilized to construct a perfect astrometric reference frame to measure the minute proper motions (PMs) of M31 and M33, along with the PMs of substructures associated with the Local Group of galaxies. Those PMs are some of the most fundamental properties of the Local Group.« less

Design of new inhibitors for H5N1 avian influenza using a molecular dynamics simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, Jin Woo; Jo, Won Ho

2008-03-01

Recently, there has been a growing interest in the treatment of H5N1 avian influenza. One of the most widely used antiviral agents is oseltamivir. However, it has been reported that oseltamivir is not as effective against the neuraminidase subtype N1 as it is against subtypes N2 and N9. In our research we addressed this problem by designing new inhibitors and these altered inhibitor's binding affinities were calculated. In this study, we introduced chemical groups to the existing oseltamivir, so to fit into the newly discovered cavity in the subtype N1. When the binding strengths of the oseltamivir and the newly designed inhibitors for N1 were calculated to examine the drug efficiency through a molecular dynamics simulation, then compared with each other, it was found that one of the designed molecules exhibited a strong binding affinity, with more than twice the binding strength than that of oseltamivir. Since the aforementioned designed inhibitor appears to have the possibility for oral activity according to the criteria of human oral bioavailability, we propose that the inhibitor is a promising antiviral drug for H5N1 avian influenza.

Pluto and the platypus: An odd ball and an odd duck - On classificatory norms.

PubMed

Slater, Matthew H

2017-02-01

Many astronomers seem to believe that we have discovered that Pluto is not a planet. I contest this assessment. Recent discoveries of trans-Neptunian Pluto-sized objects do not militate for Pluto's expulsion from the planets unless we have prior reason for not simply counting these newly-discovered objects among the planets. I argue that this classificatory controversy - which I compare to the controversy about the classification of the platypus - illustrates how our classificatory practices are laden with normative commitments of a distinctive kind. I conclude with a discussion of the relevance of such "norm-ladenness" to other controversies in the metaphysics of classification, such as the monism/pluralism debate. Copyright © 2017 The Author. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

A Framework for the Evaluation of Biosecurity, Commercial, Regulatory, and Scientific Impacts of Plant Viruses and Viroids Identified by NGS Technologies

PubMed Central

Massart, Sebastien; Candresse, Thierry; Gil, José; Lacomme, Christophe; Predajna, Lukas; Ravnikar, Maja; Reynard, Jean-Sébastien; Rumbou, Artemis; Saldarelli, Pasquale; Škorić, Dijana; Vainio, Eeva J.; Valkonen, Jari P. T.; Vanderschuren, Hervé; Varveri, Christina; Wetzel, Thierry

2017-01-01

Recent advances in high-throughput sequencing technologies and bioinformatics have generated huge new opportunities for discovering and diagnosing plant viruses and viroids. Plant virology has undoubtedly benefited from these new methodologies, but at the same time, faces now substantial bottlenecks, namely the biological characterization of the newly discovered viruses and the analysis of their impact at the biosecurity, commercial, regulatory, and scientific levels. This paper proposes a scaled and progressive scientific framework for efficient biological characterization and risk assessment when a previously known or a new plant virus is detected by next generation sequencing (NGS) technologies. Four case studies are also presented to illustrate the need for such a framework, and to discuss the scenarios. PMID:28174561

New findings of the butterfly Phengaris teleius at the border between Hungary and Serbia (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae)

PubMed Central

Šašić, Martina

2016-01-01

Abstract Background Due to its interesting life cycle, vulnerability and conservation importance, the butterfly Phengaris teleius is one of the most studied insects in Europe. It was discovered in Serbia only in 2012 and there were no data on its distribution from the south of Hungary. New information Phengaris teleius was recorded for the first time in four localities in Hungary and in additional locality in Serbia. This suggests that the local populations are more interconnected than previousely thought and that conservation efforts should be done in collaboration between the two countries. All localities are inside protected areas and management measures for preserving several target species already exist. This represents a solid base for the conservation of newly discovered populations of P. teleius. PMID:27099563

Analytical method for the effects of the asteroid belt on planetary orbits

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mayo, A. P.

1979-01-01

Analytic expressions are derived for the perturbation of planetary orbits due to a thick constant-density asteroid belt. The derivations include extensions and adaptations of Plakhov's (1968) analytic expressions for the perturbations in five of the orbital elements for closed orbits around Saturn's rings. The equations of Plakhov are modified to include the effect of ring thickness, and additional equations are derived for the perturbations in the sixth orbital element, the mean anomaly. The gravitational potential and orbital perturbations are derived for the asteroid belt with and without thickness, and for a hoop approximation to the belt. The procedures are also applicable to Saturn's rings and the newly discovered rings of Uranus. The effects of the asteroid belt thickness on the gravitational potential coefficients and the orbital motions are demonstrated. Comparisons between the Mars orbital perturbations obtained by using the analytic expressions and those obtained by numerical integration are discussed. The effects of the asteroid belt on earth-based ranging to Mars are also demonstrated.

The discovery of drug-induced illness.

PubMed

Jick, H

1977-03-03

The increased use of drugs (and the concurrent increased risks of drug-induced illness) require definition of relevant research areas and strategy. For established marketed drugs, research needs depend on the magnitudes of risk of an illness from a drug and the base-line risk. With the drug risk high and the base-line risk low, the problem surfaces in premarketing studies or through the epidemic that develops after marketing. If the drug adds slightly to a high base-line risk, the effect is undetectable. When both risks are low, adverse effects can be discovered by chance, but systematic case-referent studies can speed discovery. If both risks are high, clinical trials and nonexperimental studies may be used. With both risks intermediate, systematic evaluations, especially case-referent studies are needed. Newly marketed drugs should be routinely evaluated through compulsory registration and follow-up study of the earliest users.

Cytopathic effect of Human cosavirus (HCoSV) on primary cell cultures of human embryonic lung MRC5.

PubMed

Rezig, Dorra; Touzi, Henda; Meddeb, Zina; Triki, Henda

2014-10-01

Human cosaviruses (HCoSVs) are newly discovered viruses in Picornaviridae family. Until now, most published studies reported HCoSV detection using molecular techniques and genetic characterization of the virus. Nevertheless, no laboratory has yet reported the replication of these viruses in cultured cell lines. In the present work, the propagation of HCoSV strains isolated from human fecal specimens in MRC5 cell line and their induced cytopathic effects (CPE) was studied. The first sign of virus growth was observed 24-48h after inoculation. The cells rounded up and clumped together rapidly; empty areas became visible and, on the third day of CPE, a remarkable decrease in live cells was observed. This represents the first report on in vitro model of HCoSV replication which opens up opportunities for future investigations of these new viruses. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Regarding the Charmed-Strange Member of the 23 S 1 Meson State

PubMed Central

Feng, Xue-Chao; Chen, Jing

2013-01-01

By employing the mass relations derived from the mass matrix and Regge trajectory, we investigate the masses of charmed and charmed-strange members of the 23 S 1 meson. The masses are compared with the values predicted by other theoretical approaches and experimental data. The results may be useful for the discovery of the unobserved meson and the determination of the quantum number of the newly discovered states. PMID:24250272

The Quest for Pi

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bailey, David H.; Borwein, Jonathan M.; Borwein, Peter B.; Plouffe, Simon

1996-01-01

This article gives a brief history of the analysis and computation of the mathematical constant Pi=3.14159 ..., including a number of the formulas that have been used to compute Pi through the ages. Recent developments in this area are then discussed in some detail, including the recent computation of Pi to over six billion decimal digits using high-order convergent algorithms, and a newly discovered scheme that permits arbitrary individual hexadecimal digits of Pi to be computed.

The Fast Follower: Coming Up Behind Development Leaders

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-06-01

DoD faces a shrinking defense industrial base and a more global tech marketplace and competes with the rise of consumer electronics that have short...to others and positions itself to rapidly exploit the newly discovered technical knowledge by quickly applying that knowledge to the unique needs of...technical aware- ness, organized for speed in innovation and has an intimate knowledge of its customer. From its vantage point on the first mover’s

Relationships between fire danger and the daily number and daily growth of active incidents burning in the northern Rocky Mountains, USA

Treesearch

Patrick H. Freeborn; Mark A. Cochrane; W. Matt Jolly

2015-01-01

Daily National Fire Danger Rating System (NFDRS) indices are typically associated with the number and final size of newly discovered fires, or averaged over time and associated with the likelihood and total burned area of large fires. Herein we used a decade (2003-12) of NFDRS indices and US Forest Service (USFS) fire reports to examine daily relationships between fire...

Retrovirus XMRV Is Inhibited by Host Proteins and Anti-HIV Drugs AZT, Tenofovir, and Raltegravir | Center for Cancer Research

Cancer.gov

A newly discovered retrovirus, XMRV, isolated from prostate cancer tissues for the first time in 2006, has recently been reported in patients with this cancer, as well as in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). However, five subsequent studies could not validate these reports. Since XMRV was isolated from the T and B cells of CFS patients, Vinay Pathak and his

Compositions and methods for improved plant feedstock

DOEpatents

Shen, Hui; Chen, Fang; Dixon, Richard A

2014-12-02

The invention provides methods for modifying lignin content and composition in plants and achieving associated benefits therefrom involving altered expression of newly discovered MYB4 transcription factors. Nucleic acid constructs for modifying MYB4 transcription factor expression are described. By over-expressing the identified MYB4 transcription factors, for example, an accompanying decrease in lignin content may be achieved. Plants are provided by the invention comprising such modifications, as are methods for their preparation and use.

Optical observations of MAXI J1820+070 suggest it is a black hole X-ray binary

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baglio, M. Cristina; Russell, Dave M.; Lewis, Fraser

2018-03-01

We report on optical observations of the newly discovered transient MAXI J1820+070 (ATel #11399, #11400, #11403, #11404, #11406). We performed optical (g', i') observations of the field with the Las Cumbres Observatory (LCO) 1-m robotic telescope located at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory, Chile, on March 13th, 2018 (MJD 58190.38) obtaining one 200-second integration image of the field for each filter.

VizieR Online Data Catalog: Asiago Supernova Catalogue (Version 2008-Mar)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barbon, R.; Buondi, V.; Cappellaro, E.; Turatto, M.

2008-02-01

This catalogue supersedes the previous version by Barbon et al. (1999A&AS..139..531B, Cat. II/227), and contains data about the supernovae observed since 1895 and their parent galaxies until the beginning of 2008. In addition to the list of newly discovered SNe, the literature has been searched for new information on past SNe as well. The data for the parent galaxies have also been homogenized. (1 data file).

A new look at the Y tetraquarks and Ω _c baryons in the diquark model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ali, Ahmed; Maiani, Luciano; Borisov, Anatoly V.; Ahmed, Ishtiaq; Aslam, M. Jamil; Parkhomenko, Alexander Ya.; Polosa, Antonio D.; Rehman, Abdur

2018-01-01

We analyze the hidden charm P-wave tetraquarks in the diquark model, using an effective Hamiltonian incorporating the dominant spin-spin, spin-orbit and tensor interactions. We compare with other P-wave systems such as P-wave charmonia and the newly discovered Ω _c baryons, analysed recently in this framework. Given the uncertain experimental situation on the Y states, we allow for different spectra and discuss the related parameters in the diquark model. In addition to the presently observed ones, we expect many more states in the supermultiplet of L=1 diquarkonia, whose J^{PC} quantum numbers and masses are worked out, using the parameters from the currently preferred Y-states pattern. The existence of these new resonances would be a decisive footprint of the underlying diquark dynamics.

Dynamic wet-ETEM observation of Pt/C electrode catalysts in a moisturized cathode atmosphere.

PubMed

Yoshida, Kenta; Bright, Alexander N; Ward, Michael R; Lari, Leonardo; Zhang, Xudong; Hiroyama, Tomoki; Boyes, Edward D; Gai, Pratibha L

2014-10-24

The gas injection line of the latest spherical aberration-corrected environmental transmission electron microscope has been modified for achieving real-time/atomic-scale observations in moisturised gas atmospheres for the first time. The newly developed Wet-TEM system is applied to platinum carbon electrode catalysts to investigate the effect of water molecules on the platinum/carbon interface during deactivation processes such as sintering and corrosion. Dynamic in situ movies obtained in dry and 24% moisturised nitrogen environments visualize the rapid rotation, migration and agglomeration of platinum nanoparticles due to the physical adsorption of water and the hydroxylation of the carbon surface. The origin of the long-interconnected aggregation of platinum nanoparticles was discovered to be a major deactivation process in addition to conventional carbon corrosion.

Direct degradation of dyes by piezoelectric fibers through scavenging low frequency vibration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Ruijian; Xu, Yunhua; Bai, Qing; Wang, Zengmei; Guo, Xinli; Kimura, Hideo

2018-06-01

A newly discovered nanometer material-mediated piezoelectrochemical (PZEC) for the direct conversion of mechanical energy to chemical energy has attracted increasing attention, for its great potential to be a green dye water decomposition technique. However, it is far from being a cost-effective and practical technique because only ultrasonic can be scavenged to decomposed organic pollutant in previous studies. Here, we prepared 0.5Ba(Zr0.2Ti0.8)O3-0.5(Ba0.7Ca0.3)TiO3 (BZT-BCT) piezoelectric fibers for the degradation of dye solution via slow stirring and studied the degradation mechanism. It provides a practical, green and low-cost method for decomposing organic dye by scavenging waste mechanical energy from the surrounding environment.

Hidden MHC genetic diversity in the Iberian ibex (Capra pyrenaica).

PubMed

Angelone, Samer; Jowers, Michael J; Molinar Min, Anna Rita; Fandos, Paulino; Prieto, Paloma; Pasquetti, Mario; Cano-Manuel, Francisco Javier; Mentaberre, Gregorio; Olvera, Jorge Ramón López; Ráez-Bravo, Arián; Espinosa, José; Pérez, Jesús M; Soriguer, Ramón C; Rossi, Luca; Granados, José Enrique

2018-05-08

Defining hidden genetic diversity within species is of great significance when attempting to maintain the evolutionary potential of natural populations and conduct appropriate management. Our hypothesis is that isolated (and eventually small) wild animal populations hide unexpected genetic diversity due to their maintenance of ancient polymorphisms or introgressions. We tested this hypothesis using the Iberian ibex (Capra pyrenaica) as an example. Previous studies based on large sample sizes taken from its principal populations have revealed that the Iberian ibex has a remarkably small MHC DRB1 diversity (only six remnant alleles) as a result of recent population bottlenecks and a marked demographic decline that has led to the extinction of two recognized subspecies. Extending on the geographic range to include non-studied isolated Iberian ibex populations, we sequenced a new MHC DRB1 in what seemed three small isolated populations in Southern Spain (n = 132). The findings indicate a higher genetic diversity than previously reported in this important gene. The newly discovered allele, MHC DRB1*7, is identical to one reported in the domestic goat C. aegagrus hircus. Whether or not this is the result of ancient polymorphisms maintained by balancing selection or, alternatively, introgressions from domestic goats through hybridization needs to be clarified in future studies. However, hybridization between Iberian ibex and domestic goats has been reported in Spain and the fact that the newly discovered allele is only present in one of the small isolated populations and not in the others suggests introgression. The new discovered allele is not expected to increase fitness in C. pyrenaica since it generates the same protein as the existing MHC DRB1*6. Analysis of a microsatellite locus (OLADRB1) near the new MHC DRB1*7 gene reveals a linkage disequilibrium between these two loci. The allele OLADRB1, 187 bp in length, was unambiguously linked to the MHC DRB1*7 allele. This enabled us to perform a DRB-STR matching method for the recently discovered MHC allele. This finding is critical for the conservation of the Iberian ibex since it directly affects the identification of the units of this species that should be managed and conserved separately (Evolutionarily Significant Units).

The Eugen Seibold coral mounds offshore western Morocco: oceanographic and bathymetric steering of a newly discovered cold-water coral province

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Glogowski, Silke; Dullo, Christian; Flögel, Sascha; Feldens, Peter; Hühnerbach, Veit; von Reumont, Jonas; Krastel, Sebastian; Wynn, Russ B.; Liebetrau, Volker

2015-04-01

This study presents new seafloor bathymetric and sidescan sonar data identifying a previously unknown cold-water coral (CWC) province on the Atlantic margin off western Morocco (ca. 31° N). Applying the concept of seawater density as a predictive tool for living CWC reef occurrence during research cruise 32 aboard RV Maria S. Merian in October 2013 CTD casts revealed potential sites. Direct sampling retrieved living coral patches within an extensive field of carbonate mounds, covering an area of ~410 km2 on the upper slope ~40 nautical miles north of Agadir Canyon. Individual mounds are up to 12 m high and are mainly composed of dead cold-water corals Lophelia pertusa thickets at present-day water depths of 678-863 m. Living CWCs represent only a thin veneer and were sampled by box coring in the shallower parts of the mound field between 678 and 719 m. CTD measurements in these shallower areas revealed that the occurrence of these living CWC reefs coincides with the deeper part of the North Atlantic Central Water (NACW) mass exhibiting conservative temperatures Φ of 9.78-9.94° C, absolute salinity SA of 35.632 g/kg, and a sea water density σΦ of 27.31-27.33 kg/m3). This is in good agreement with observations from the Renard Ridge (35° N, Gulf of Cadiz) to the north and sites off Mauretania (17° N-18° N) to the south, 'with the exception of sparse live corals in the latter region, the CWC reefs of both regions consist of a dead fabric in the deeper layer of the NACW slightly above the Mediterranean Outflow Water. The bathymetric and oceanographic settings of this newly discovered CWC site, with its thin veneer of living corals and much larger accumulations of coral rubble, are consistent with published evidence that, over the past three glacial-interglacial cycles, active CWC reef growth south of 50° N was more favourable during glacial times (possibly up to the very early Holocene) in this sector of the northeast Atlantic Ocean. The newly discovered province is here named the Eugen Seibold coral mounds in honour of the pioneering marine geologist Eugen Seibold (1918-2013).

Disk Detective: Discovery of New Circumstellar Disk Candidates Through Citizen Science

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kuchner, Marc J.; Silverberg, Steven M.; Bans, Alissa S.; Bhattacharjee, Shambo; Kenyon, Scott J.; Debes, John H.; Currie, Thayne; Garcia, Luciano; Jung, Dawoon; Lintott, Chris;

Millisecond Pulsars at Gamma-Ray Energies: Fermi Detections and Implications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Harding, Alice K.

2011-01-01

The Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope has revolutionized the study of pulsar physics with the discovery of new populations of radio quiet and millisecond gamma-ray pulsars. The Fermi Large Area Telescope has so far discovered approx.20 new gamma-ray millisecond pulsars (MSPs) by both folding at periods of known radio MSPs or by detecting them as gamma-ray sources that are followed up by radio pulsar searches. The second method has resulted in a phenomenally successful synergy, with -30 new radio MSPs (to date) having been discovered at Fermi unidentified source locations and the gamma-ray pulsations having then been detected in a number of these using the radio timing solutions. Many of the newly discovered MSPs may be suitable for addition to the collection of very stable MSPs used for gravitational wave detection. Detection of such a large number of MSPs was surprising, given that most have relatively low spin-down luminosity and surface field strength. I will discuss their properties and the implications for pulsar particle acceleration and emission, as well as their potential contribution to gamma-ray backgrounds and Galactic cosmic rays.

Disk Detective: Discovery of New Circumstellar Disk Candidates through Citizen Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuchner, Marc J.; Silverberg, Steven M.; Bans, Alissa S.; Bhattacharjee, Shambo; Kenyon, Scott J.; Debes, John H.; Currie, Thayne; García, Luciano; Jung, Dawoon; Lintott, Chris; McElwain, Michael; Padgett, Deborah L.; Rebull, Luisa M.; Wisniewski, John P.; Nesvold, Erika; Schawinski, Kevin; Thaller, Michelle L.; Grady, Carol A.; Biggs, Joseph; Bosch, Milton; Černohous, Tadeáš; Durantini Luca, Hugo A.; Hyogo, Michiharu; Wah, Lily Lau Wan; Piipuu, Art; Piñeiro, Fernanda; Disk Detective Collaboration

2016-10-01

The Disk Detective citizen science project aims to find new stars with 22 μm excess emission from circumstellar dust using data from NASA’s Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) mission. Initial cuts on the AllWISE catalog provide an input catalog of 277,686 sources. Volunteers then view images of each source online in 10 different bands to identify false positives (galaxies, interstellar matter, image artifacts, etc.). Sources that survive this online vetting are followed up with spectroscopy on the FLWO Tillinghast telescope. This approach should allow us to unleash the full potential of WISE for finding new debris disks and protoplanetary disks. We announce a first list of 37 new disk candidates discovered by the project, and we describe our vetting and follow-up process. One of these systems appears to contain the first debris disk discovered around a star with a white dwarf companion: HD 74389. We also report four newly discovered classical Be stars (HD 6612, HD 7406, HD 164137, and HD 218546) and a new detection of 22 μm excess around the previously known debris disk host star HD 22128.

CD4+ T cell count, HIV-1 viral loads and demographic variables of newly identified patients with HIV infection in Wuhan, China.

PubMed

Liu, Man-Qing; Tang, Li; Kong, Wen-Hua; Zhu, Ze-Rong; Peng, Jin-Song; Wang, Xia; Yao, Zhong-Zhao; Schilling, Robert; Zhou, Wang

2013-10-01

In China, the rate of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing is increasing among men who have sex with men. The purpose of the present study was to describe HIV-related biomarkers and selected demographic variables of persons with newly diagnosed HIV/AIDS, among men who have sex with men in particular, in Wuhan China. Demographic indicators, and CD4+ T cell counts and HIV-1 viral load were collected from individuals newly identified as HIV-1 antibody positive during 2011. Of 176 enrolled patients, 132 (75.0%) were men who have sex with men. This group was significantly younger and had higher CD4+ T cell counts than patients who were likely infected through heterosexual contact. Most men who have sex with men (56.6%) were discovered by initiative investigation. Among heterosexual patients CD4+ T cell counts and HIV-1 viral load were significantly correlated; among the group of men who have sex with men, no such association was found. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

A unified thermal and vertical trajectory model for the prediction of high altitude balloon performance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Carlson, L. A.; Horn, W. J.

1981-01-01

A computer model for the prediction of the trajectory and thermal behavior of zero-pressure high altitude balloon was developed. In accord with flight data, the model permits radiative emission and absorption of the lifting gas and daytime gas temperatures above that of the balloon film. It also includes ballasting, venting, and valving. Predictions obtained with the model are compared with flight data from several flights and newly discovered features are discussed.

The Identification of a Legionella pneumophila Toxin with in vivo Lethality

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-01-01

It lacked hydroxy fatty a similar extract, obtained from a newly acids , was minimally inhibited by treat- discovered, but genetically unrelated, ment...applied to the Molecular Weight Estimation column depending upon the individual acid supernatant preparation. There A Sephadex G-50 column (1.5 x...Table 1). Although 0.5 ml of the first peak readi- One-milligram amounts of protein ly kills mice within 18 hours, as much as from Legionella acid

CO(2) fixation through hydrogenation by chemical or enzymatic methods.

PubMed

Beller, Matthias; Bornscheuer, Uwe T

2014-04-25

Two birds with one stone: The simulaneous fixation of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide and storage of the alternative fuel hydrogen can be accomplished with the formation of formic acid. In principle, this is now possible either with an enzymatic system based on a newly discovered bacterial hydrogen-dependent carbon dioxide reductase or by using organometallic catalysts at room temperature and ambient pressure. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Effect of interfaces on the nearby Brownian motion

PubMed Central

Huang, Kai; Szlufarska, Izabela

2015-01-01

Near-boundary Brownian motion is a classic hydrodynamic problem of great importance in a variety of fields, from biophysics to micro-/nanofluidics. However, owing to challenges in experimental measurements of near-boundary dynamics, the effect of interfaces on Brownian motion has remained elusive. Here we report a computational study of this effect using μs-long large-scale molecular dynamics simulations and our newly developed Green–Kubo relation for friction at the liquid–solid interface. Our computer experiment unambiguously reveals that the t−3/2 long-time decay of the velocity autocorrelation function of a Brownian particle in bulk liquid is replaced by a t−5/2 decay near a boundary. We discover a general breakdown of traditional no-slip boundary condition at short time scales and we show that this breakdown has a profound impact on the near-boundary Brownian motion. Our results demonstrate the potential of Brownian-particle-based micro-/nanosonar to probe the local wettability of liquid–solid interfaces. PMID:26438034

Effect of interfaces on the nearby Brownian motion.

PubMed

Huang, Kai; Szlufarska, Izabela

2015-10-06

Near-boundary Brownian motion is a classic hydrodynamic problem of great importance in a variety of fields, from biophysics to micro-/nanofluidics. However, owing to challenges in experimental measurements of near-boundary dynamics, the effect of interfaces on Brownian motion has remained elusive. Here we report a computational study of this effect using μs-long large-scale molecular dynamics simulations and our newly developed Green-Kubo relation for friction at the liquid-solid interface. Our computer experiment unambiguously reveals that the t(-3/2) long-time decay of the velocity autocorrelation function of a Brownian particle in bulk liquid is replaced by a t(-5/2) decay near a boundary. We discover a general breakdown of traditional no-slip boundary condition at short time scales and we show that this breakdown has a profound impact on the near-boundary Brownian motion. Our results demonstrate the potential of Brownian-particle-based micro-/nanosonar to probe the local wettability of liquid-solid interfaces.

Pressure-enhanced superconductivity in Eu 3 Bi 2 S 4 F 4

DOE PAGES

Luo, Yongkang; Zhai, Hui -Fei; Zhang, Pan; ...

2014-12-17

The pressure effect on the newly discovered charge-transferred BiS 2-based superconductor, Eu 3Bi 2S 4F 4, with a T c of 1.5 K at ambient pressure, is investigated by transport and magnetic measurements. Accompanied with the enhancement of metallicity under pressures, the onset superconducting transition temperature increases abruptly around 1.0 GPa, reaching ~10.0 K at 2.26 GPa. Alternating current magnetic susceptibility measurements indicate that a new superconducting phase with a higher T c emerges and dominates at high pressures. In the broad pressure window of 0.68GPa≤p≤2.00 GPa, the high-T c phase coexists with the low-T c phase. Hall effect measurementsmore » reveal a significant difference in electronic structures between the two superconducting phases. As a result, our work devotes the effort to establish the commonality of pressure effect on the BiS 2-based superconductors, and also uncovers the importance of electron carrier density in the high-T c phase.« less

High Fill-out, Extreme Mass Ratio Overcontact Binary Systems. X. The Newly Discovered Binary XY Leonis Minoris

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qian, S.-B.; Liu, L.; Zhu, L.-Y.; He, J.-J.; Yang, Y.-G.; Bernasconi, L.

2011-05-01

The newly discovered short-period close binary star, XY LMi, has been monitored photometrically since 2006. Its light curves are typical EW-type light curves and show complete eclipses with durations of about 80 minutes. Photometric solutions were determined through an analysis of the complete B, V, R, and I light curves using the 2003 version of the Wilson-Devinney code. XY LMi is a high fill-out, extreme mass ratio overcontact binary system with a mass ratio of q = 0.148 and a fill-out factor of f = 74.1%, suggesting that it is in the late evolutionary stage of late-type tidal-locked binary stars. As observed in other overcontact binary stars, evidence for the presence of two dark spots on both components is given. Based on our 19 epochs of eclipse times, we found that the orbital period of the overcontact binary is decreasing continuously at a rate of dP/dt = -1.67 × 10-7 days yr-1, which may be caused by mass transfer from the primary to the secondary and/or angular momentum loss via magnetic stellar wind. The decrease of the orbital period may result in the increase of the fill-out, and finally, it will evolve into a single rapid-rotation star when the fluid surface reaches the outer critical Roche lobe.

Ketorolac salt is a newly discovered DDX3 inhibitor to treat oral cancer

PubMed Central

Samal, Sabindra K.; Routray, Samapika; Veeramachaneni, Ganesh Kumar; Dash, Rupesh; Botlagunta, Mahendran

2015-01-01

DDX3 belongs to DEAD box RNA helicase family and is involved in the progression of several types of cancer. In this work, we employed a High Throughput Virtual screening approach to identify bioactive compounds against DDX3 from ZINC natural database. Ketorolac salt was selected based on its binding free energy less than or equals to −5 Kcal/mol with reference to existing synthetic DDX3 inhibitors and strong hydrogen bond interactions as similar to crystallized DDX3 protein (2I4I). The anti-cancer activity of Ketorolac salt against DDX3 was tested using oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) cell lines. This compound significantly down regulated the expression of DDX3 in human OSCC line (H357) and the half maximal growth inhibitory concentration (IC50) of Ketorolac salt in H357 cell line is 2.6 µM. Ketorolac salt also inhibited the ATP hydrolysis by directly interacting with DDX3. More importantly, we observed decreased number of neoplastic tongue lesions and reduced lesion severity in Ketorolac salt treated groups in a carcinogen induced tongue tumor mouse model. Taken together, our result demonstrates that Ketorolac salt is a newly discovered bioactive compound against DDX3 and this compound can be used as an ideal drug candidate to treat DDX3 associated oral cancer. PMID:25918862

Ketorolac salt is a newly discovered DDX3 inhibitor to treat oral cancer.

PubMed

Samal, Sabindra K; Routray, Samapika; Veeramachaneni, Ganesh Kumar; Dash, Rupesh; Botlagunta, Mahendran

2015-04-28

DDX3 belongs to DEAD box RNA helicase family and is involved in the progression of several types of cancer. In this work, we employed a High Throughput Virtual screening approach to identify bioactive compounds against DDX3 from ZINC natural database. Ketorolac salt was selected based on its binding free energy less than or equals to -5 Kcal/mol with reference to existing synthetic DDX3 inhibitors and strong hydrogen bond interactions as similar to crystallized DDX3 protein (2I4I). The anti-cancer activity of Ketorolac salt against DDX3 was tested using oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) cell lines. This compound significantly down regulated the expression of DDX3 in human OSCC line (H357) and the half maximal growth inhibitory concentration (IC50) of Ketorolac salt in H357 cell line is 2.6 µM. Ketorolac salt also inhibited the ATP hydrolysis by directly interacting with DDX3. More importantly, we observed decreased number of neoplastic tongue lesions and reduced lesion severity in Ketorolac salt treated groups in a carcinogen induced tongue tumor mouse model. Taken together, our result demonstrates that Ketorolac salt is a newly discovered bioactive compound against DDX3 and this compound can be used as an ideal drug candidate to treat DDX3 associated oral cancer.

Geodetic imaging: A new tool for Mesoamerican archaeology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carter, William E.; Shrestha, Ramesh L.; Fisher, Christopher; Leisz, Stephen

2012-10-01

On 15 May 2012, Honduran President Porfirio Lobo convened a press conference to announce that researchers mapping areas of the Mosquitia region of Honduras, using airborne light detection and ranging (lidar), had discovered what appeared to be an extensive complex of archaeological ruins hidden beneath the dense canopy of rain forest that shrouds the terrain [UTL Scientific, LLC, 2012]. President Lobo released preliminary images of the ruins derived from the airborne lidar observations (Figure 1a) but withheld information about their precise location so that measures could be taken to protect and preserve this newly discovered cultural heritage. The coordinates of the ruins, determined from the lidar observations with an accuracy of a few decimeters, will enable archaeological teams to use the Global Positioning System to navigate through the dense forest directly to features of interest.

Kepler-90 System Compared to Our Solar System (Artist's Concept)

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-14

Our solar system now is tied for most number of planets around a single star, with the recent discovery of an eighth planet circling Kepler-90, a Sun-like star 2,545 light years from Earth. The planet was discovered in data from NASA's Kepler Space Telescope. This artist's concept depicts the Kepler-90 system compared with our own solar system. The newly-discovered Kepler-90i -- a sizzling hot, rocky planet that orbits its star once every 14.4 days -- was found using machine learning from Google. Machine learning is an approach to artificial intelligence in which computers "learn." In this case, computers learned to identify planets by finding in Kepler data instances where the telescope recorded changes in starlight caused by planets beyond our solar system, known as exoplanets. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA22193

PTF1 J191905.19+481506.2—A partially eclipsing AM CVn system discovered in the Palomar transient factory

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

Levitan, David; Groot, Paul J.; Prince, Thomas A.

2014-04-20

We report on PTF1 J191905.19+481506.2, a newly discovered, partially eclipsing, outbursting AM CVn system found in the Palomar Transient Factory synoptic survey. This is only the second known eclipsing AM CVn system. We use high-speed photometric observations and phase-resolved spectroscopy to establish an orbital period of 22.4559(3) minutes. We also present a long-term light curve and report on the normal and super-outbursts regularly seen in this system, including a super-outburst recurrence time of 36.8(4) days. We use the presence of the eclipse to place upper and lower limits on the inclination of the system and discuss the number of knownmore » eclipsing AM CVn systems versus what would be expected.« less

The hydrobioid freshwater gastropods (Caenogastropoda, Truncatelloidea) of Greece: new records, taxonomic re-assessments using DNA sequence data and an update of the IUCN Red List Categories

PubMed Central

Radea, Canella; Parmakelis, Aristeidis; Papadogiannis, Vassilis; Charou, Despoina; Triantis, Kostas A.

2013-01-01

Abstract Hydrobioid freshwater gastropods were collected from mainland and insular Greece. Several threatened taxa, such as Graecoanatolica vegorriticola, Pseudamnicola negropontina, Pseudamnicola pieperi, Pseudobithynia eubooensis and Pseudoislamia balcanica, were recorded from new localities. Trichonia trichonica, which has been considered extinct from its type locality for the last twenty eight years, was re-discovered, whereas the presence of Daphniola exigua, G. vegorriticola, Marstoniopsis graeca, P. pieperi and Pseudobithynia trichonis in their type localities was verified. The taxonomic status of P. negropontina and the newly discovered populations of G. vegorriticola was elucidated using COI sequence data. The new data recorded during this survey indicate that the IUCN status of some Greek endemic hydrobioids needs to be updated. PMID:24294081

Near-Earth Asteroids: Destinations for Human Exploration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barbee, Brent W.

2014-01-01

The Near-Earth Object Human Space Flight Accessible Targets Study (NHATS) is a system that monitors the near-Earth asteroid (NEA) population to identify NEAs whose orbital characteristics may make them potential destinations for future round-trip human space flight missions. To accomplish this monitoring, Brent Barbee (GSFC) developed and automated a system that applies specialized trajectory processing to the orbits of newly discovered NEAs, and those for which we have updated orbit knowledge, obtained from the JPL Small Bodies Database (SBDB). This automated process executes daily and the results are distributed to the general public and the astronomy community. This aids in prioritizing telescope radar time allocations for obtaining crucial follow-up observations of highly accessible NEAs during the critical, because it is often fleeting, time period surrounding the time at which the NEAs are initially discovered.

Near-Earth asteroids: Observer alert network and physical observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Davis, Donald R.; Chapman, Clark R.

1992-01-01

This project strives to obtain physical observations on newly discovered Near-Earth Objects (NEO's) in order to provide fundamental data needed to assess the resources available in the population. The goal is acquiring data on all objects brighter than magnitude V= 17.0. To accomplish this, an electronic mail alert and observer information service that informs observers around the world as to the status of physical observations on currently observable NEO's was established. Such data is also acquired ourselves through a cooperative program with European colleagues that uses telescopes on La Palma to obtain spectra of NEO's and through observations made from a local telescope on Tumamoc Hill. This latter telescope has the advantage that large amounts of observing time are available, so that whenever a new NEO's discovered, we can be assured of getting time to observe it.

NV: Nessus Vulnerability Visualization for the Web

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

Harrison, Lane; Spahn, Riley B; Iannacone, Michael D

2012-01-01

Network vulnerability is a critical component of network se- curity. Yet vulnerability analysis has received relatively lit- tle attention from the security visualization community. In this paper we describe nv, a web-based Nessus vulnerability visualization. Nv utilizes treemaps and linked histograms to allow system administrators to discover, analyze, and man- age vulnerabilities on their networks. In addition to visual- izing single Nessus scans, nv supports the analysis of sequen- tial scans by showing which vulnerabilities have been fixed, remain open, or are newly discovered. Nv was also designed to operate completely in-browser, to avoid sending sensitive data to outside servers.more » We discuss the design of nv, as well as provide case studies demonstrating vulnerability analysis workflows which include a multiple-node testbed and data from the 2011 VAST Challenge.« less

Large-scale association analyses identify new loci influencing glycemic traits and provide insight into the underlying biological pathways.

PubMed

Scott, Robert A; Lagou, Vasiliki; Welch, Ryan P; Wheeler, Eleanor; Montasser, May E; Luan, Jian'an; Mägi, Reedik; Strawbridge, Rona J; Rehnberg, Emil; Gustafsson, Stefan; Kanoni, Stavroula; Rasmussen-Torvik, Laura J; Yengo, Loïc; Lecoeur, Cecile; Shungin, Dmitry; Sanna, Serena; Sidore, Carlo; Johnson, Paul C D; Jukema, J Wouter; Johnson, Toby; Mahajan, Anubha; Verweij, Niek; Thorleifsson, Gudmar; Hottenga, Jouke-Jan; Shah, Sonia; Smith, Albert V; Sennblad, Bengt; Gieger, Christian; Salo, Perttu; Perola, Markus; Timpson, Nicholas J; Evans, David M; Pourcain, Beate St; Wu, Ying; Andrews, Jeanette S; Hui, Jennie; Bielak, Lawrence F; Zhao, Wei; Horikoshi, Momoko; Navarro, Pau; Isaacs, Aaron; O'Connell, Jeffrey R; Stirrups, Kathleen; Vitart, Veronique; Hayward, Caroline; Esko, Tõnu; Mihailov, Evelin; Fraser, Ross M; Fall, Tove; Voight, Benjamin F; Raychaudhuri, Soumya; Chen, Han; Lindgren, Cecilia M; Morris, Andrew P; Rayner, Nigel W; Robertson, Neil; Rybin, Denis; Liu, Ching-Ti; Beckmann, Jacques S; Willems, Sara M; Chines, Peter S; Jackson, Anne U; Kang, Hyun Min; Stringham, Heather M; Song, Kijoung; Tanaka, Toshiko; Peden, John F; Goel, Anuj; Hicks, Andrew A; An, Ping; Müller-Nurasyid, Martina; Franco-Cereceda, Anders; Folkersen, Lasse; Marullo, Letizia; Jansen, Hanneke; Oldehinkel, Albertine J; Bruinenberg, Marcel; Pankow, James S; North, Kari E; Forouhi, Nita G; Loos, Ruth J F; Edkins, Sarah; Varga, Tibor V; Hallmans, Göran; Oksa, Heikki; Antonella, Mulas; Nagaraja, Ramaiah; Trompet, Stella; Ford, Ian; Bakker, Stephan J L; Kong, Augustine; Kumari, Meena; Gigante, Bruna; Herder, Christian; Munroe, Patricia B; Caulfield, Mark; Antti, Jula; Mangino, Massimo; Small, Kerrin; Miljkovic, Iva; Liu, Yongmei; Atalay, Mustafa; Kiess, Wieland; James, Alan L; Rivadeneira, Fernando; Uitterlinden, Andre G; Palmer, Colin N A; Doney, Alex S F; Willemsen, Gonneke; Smit, Johannes H; Campbell, Susan; Polasek, Ozren; Bonnycastle, Lori L; Hercberg, Serge; Dimitriou, Maria; Bolton, Jennifer L; Fowkes, Gerard R; Kovacs, Peter; Lindström, Jaana; Zemunik, Tatijana; Bandinelli, Stefania; Wild, Sarah H; Basart, Hanneke V; Rathmann, Wolfgang; Grallert, Harald; Maerz, Winfried; Kleber, Marcus E; Boehm, Bernhard O; Peters, Annette; Pramstaller, Peter P; Province, Michael A; Borecki, Ingrid B; Hastie, Nicholas D; Rudan, Igor; Campbell, Harry; Watkins, Hugh; Farrall, Martin; Stumvoll, Michael; Ferrucci, Luigi; Waterworth, Dawn M; Bergman, Richard N; Collins, Francis S; Tuomilehto, Jaakko; Watanabe, Richard M; de Geus, Eco J C; Penninx, Brenda W; Hofman, Albert; Oostra, Ben A; Psaty, Bruce M; Vollenweider, Peter; Wilson, James F; Wright, Alan F; Hovingh, G Kees; Metspalu, Andres; Uusitupa, Matti; Magnusson, Patrik K E; Kyvik, Kirsten O; Kaprio, Jaakko; Price, Jackie F; Dedoussis, George V; Deloukas, Panos; Meneton, Pierre; Lind, Lars; Boehnke, Michael; Shuldiner, Alan R; van Duijn, Cornelia M; Morris, Andrew D; Toenjes, Anke; Peyser, Patricia A; Beilby, John P; Körner, Antje; Kuusisto, Johanna; Laakso, Markku; Bornstein, Stefan R; Schwarz, Peter E H; Lakka, Timo A; Rauramaa, Rainer; Adair, Linda S; Smith, George Davey; Spector, Tim D; Illig, Thomas; de Faire, Ulf; Hamsten, Anders; Gudnason, Vilmundur; Kivimaki, Mika; Hingorani, Aroon; Keinanen-Kiukaanniemi, Sirkka M; Saaristo, Timo E; Boomsma, Dorret I; Stefansson, Kari; van der Harst, Pim; Dupuis, Josée; Pedersen, Nancy L; Sattar, Naveed; Harris, Tamara B; Cucca, Francesco; Ripatti, Samuli; Salomaa, Veikko; Mohlke, Karen L; Balkau, Beverley; Froguel, Philippe; Pouta, Anneli; Jarvelin, Marjo-Riitta; Wareham, Nicholas J; Bouatia-Naji, Nabila; McCarthy, Mark I; Franks, Paul W; Meigs, James B; Teslovich, Tanya M; Florez, Jose C; Langenberg, Claudia; Ingelsson, Erik; Prokopenko, Inga; Barroso, Inês

2012-09-01

Through genome-wide association meta-analyses of up to 133,010 individuals of European ancestry without diabetes, including individuals newly genotyped using the Metabochip, we have increased the number of confirmed loci influencing glycemic traits to 53, of which 33 also increase type 2 diabetes risk (q < 0.05). Loci influencing fasting insulin concentration showed association with lipid levels and fat distribution, suggesting impact on insulin resistance. Gene-based analyses identified further biologically plausible loci, suggesting that additional loci beyond those reaching genome-wide significance are likely to represent real associations. This conclusion is supported by an excess of directionally consistent and nominally significant signals between discovery and follow-up studies. Functional analysis of these newly discovered loci will further improve our understanding of glycemic control.

Large-scale association analyses identify new loci influencing glycemic traits and provide insight into the underlying biological pathways

PubMed Central

Scott, Robert A; Lagou, Vasiliki; Welch, Ryan P; Wheeler, Eleanor; Montasser, May E; Luan, Jian’an; Mägi, Reedik; Strawbridge, Rona J; Rehnberg, Emil; Gustafsson, Stefan; Kanoni, Stavroula; Rasmussen-Torvik, Laura J; Yengo, Loïc; Lecoeur, Cecile; Shungin, Dmitry; Sanna, Serena; Sidore, Carlo; Johnson, Paul C D; Jukema, J Wouter; Johnson, Toby; Mahajan, Anubha; Verweij, Niek; Thorleifsson, Gudmar; Hottenga, Jouke-Jan; Shah, Sonia; Smith, Albert V; Sennblad, Bengt; Gieger, Christian; Salo, Perttu; Perola, Markus; Timpson, Nicholas J; Evans, David M; Pourcain, Beate St; Wu, Ying; Andrews, Jeanette S; Hui, Jennie; Bielak, Lawrence F; Zhao, Wei; Horikoshi, Momoko; Navarro, Pau; Isaacs, Aaron; O’Connell, Jeffrey R; Stirrups, Kathleen; Vitart, Veronique; Hayward, Caroline; Esko, Tönu; Mihailov, Evelin; Fraser, Ross M; Fall, Tove; Voight, Benjamin F; Raychaudhuri, Soumya; Chen, Han; Lindgren, Cecilia M; Morris, Andrew P; Rayner, Nigel W; Robertson, Neil; Rybin, Denis; Liu, Ching-Ti; Beckmann, Jacques S; Willems, Sara M; Chines, Peter S; Jackson, Anne U; Kang, Hyun Min; Stringham, Heather M; Song, Kijoung; Tanaka, Toshiko; Peden, John F; Goel, Anuj; Hicks, Andrew A; An, Ping; Müller-Nurasyid, Martina; Franco-Cereceda, Anders; Folkersen, Lasse; Marullo, Letizia; Jansen, Hanneke; Oldehinkel, Albertine J; Bruinenberg, Marcel; Pankow, James S; North, Kari E; Forouhi, Nita G; Loos, Ruth J F; Edkins, Sarah; Varga, Tibor V; Hallmans, Göran; Oksa, Heikki; Antonella, Mulas; Nagaraja, Ramaiah; Trompet, Stella; Ford, Ian; Bakker, Stephan J L; Kong, Augustine; Kumari, Meena; Gigante, Bruna; Herder, Christian; Munroe, Patricia B; Caulfield, Mark; Antti, Jula; Mangino, Massimo; Small, Kerrin; Miljkovic, Iva; Liu, Yongmei; Atalay, Mustafa; Kiess, Wieland; James, Alan L; Rivadeneira, Fernando; Uitterlinden, Andre G; Palmer, Colin N A; Doney, Alex S F; Willemsen, Gonneke; Smit, Johannes H; Campbell, Susan; Polasek, Ozren; Bonnycastle, Lori L; Hercberg, Serge; Dimitriou, Maria; Bolton, Jennifer L; Fowkes, Gerard R; Kovacs, Peter; Lindström, Jaana; Zemunik, Tatijana; Bandinelli, Stefania; Wild, Sarah H; Basart, Hanneke V; Rathmann, Wolfgang; Grallert, Harald; Maerz, Winfried; Kleber, Marcus E; Boehm, Bernhard O; Peters, Annette; Pramstaller, Peter P; Province, Michael A; Borecki, Ingrid B; Hastie, Nicholas D; Rudan, Igor; Campbell, Harry; Watkins, Hugh; Farrall, Martin; Stumvoll, Michael; Ferrucci, Luigi; Waterworth, Dawn M; Bergman, Richard N; Collins, Francis S; Tuomilehto, Jaakko; Watanabe, Richard M; de Geus, Eco J C; Penninx, Brenda W; Hofman, Albert; Oostra, Ben A; Psaty, Bruce M; Vollenweider, Peter; Wilson, James F; Wright, Alan F; Hovingh, G Kees; Metspalu, Andres; Uusitupa, Matti; Magnusson, Patrik K E; Kyvik, Kirsten O; Kaprio, Jaakko; Price, Jackie F; Dedoussis, George V; Deloukas, Panos; Meneton, Pierre; Lind, Lars; Boehnke, Michael; Shuldiner, Alan R; van Duijn, Cornelia M; Morris, Andrew D; Toenjes, Anke; Peyser, Patricia A; Beilby, John P; Körner, Antje; Kuusisto, Johanna; Laakso, Markku; Bornstein, Stefan R; Schwarz, Peter E H; Lakka, Timo A; Rauramaa, Rainer; Adair, Linda S; Smith, George Davey; Spector, Tim D; Illig, Thomas; de Faire, Ulf; Hamsten, Anders; Gudnason, Vilmundur; Kivimaki, Mika; Hingorani, Aroon; Keinanen-Kiukaanniemi, Sirkka M; Saaristo, Timo E; Boomsma, Dorret I; Stefansson, Kari; van der Harst, Pim; Dupuis, Josée; Pedersen, Nancy L; Sattar, Naveed; Harris, Tamara B; Cucca, Francesco; Ripatti, Samuli; Salomaa, Veikko; Mohlke, Karen L; Balkau, Beverley; Froguel, Philippe; Pouta, Anneli; Jarvelin, Marjo-Riitta; Wareham, Nicholas J; Bouatia-Naji, Nabila; McCarthy, Mark I; Franks, Paul W; Meigs, James B; Teslovich, Tanya M; Florez, Jose C; Langenberg, Claudia; Ingelsson, Erik; Prokopenko, Inga; Barroso, Inês

2012-01-01

Through genome-wide association meta-analyses of up to 133,010 individuals of European ancestry without diabetes, including individuals newly genotyped using the Metabochip, we have raised the number of confirmed loci influencing glycemic traits to 53, of which 33 also increase type 2 diabetes risk (q < 0.05). Loci influencing fasting insulin showed association with lipid levels and fat distribution, suggesting impact on insulin resistance. Gene-based analyses identified further biologically plausible loci, suggesting that additional loci beyond those reaching genome-wide significance are likely to represent real associations. This conclusion is supported by an excess of directionally consistent and nominally significant signals between discovery and follow-up studies. Functional follow-up of these newly discovered loci will further improve our understanding of glycemic control. PMID:22885924

Human interleukin for DA cells or leukemia inhibitory factor is released by Vero cells in human embryo coculture.

PubMed

Papaxanthos-Roche, A; Taupin, J L; Mayer, G; Daniel, J Y; Moreau, J F

1994-09-01

In the light of the newly discovered implications of human interleukin for DA cells and leukemia inhibitory factor in embryology, we searched for the presence of this soluble cytokine in the supernatant of Vero cell coculture systems. Using a bioassay as well as a specific ELISA, we demonstrated that Vero cells are able to release large quantities of human interleukin for DA cells and leukemia inhibitory factor in the embryo-growing medium of such cocultures.

Photometry and spectroscopy of a newly discovered polar - Nova Cygni 1975 (V1500 CYG)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kaluzny, Janusz; Chlebowski, Tomasz

1988-01-01

The paper reports photometric and spectroscopic observations which led to the conclusion that Nova Cygni 1975 (V1500 Cyg) is a polar (of AM Her-type).The CCD photometry confirms the constancy of the photometric period which is again interpreted as an orbital cycle. The time-resolved MMT spectra make it possible to reconstruct, under several assumptions, the basic system parameters: M1=0.9M solar mass and M2=0.31M solar mass.

Newly discovered geological features and their potential impact on Darlington and Pickering. Report No. INFO-0342

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

Wallach, J.L.

1990-01-01

The design basis seismic ground motion for the nuclear generating stations at Darlington and at Pickering were determined solely through the assessment of previous earthquakes with no geological, or any other geophysical, input. Since then geophysical maps, showing a north-northwest oriented linear feature with some possible associated seismic activity, were examined. This report discusses the impact of these new discoveries on the Darlington and Pickering nuclear generating stations and on the already known geophysical features of the area.

Newly discovered orally active pure antiestrogens.

PubMed

Kanbe, Yoshitake; Kim, Myung-Hwa; Nishimoto, Masahiro; Ohtake, Yoshihito; Yoneya, Takaaki; Ohizumi, Iwao; Tsunenari, Toshiaki; Taniguchi, Kenji; Kaiho, Shin-ichi; Nabuchi, Yoshiaki; Araya, Hiroshi; Kawata, Setsu; Morikawa, Kazumi; Jo, Jae-Chon; Kwon, Hee-An; Lim, Hyun-Suk; Kim, Hak-Yeop

2006-09-15

In order to develop orally active pure antiestrogens, we incorporated the carboxy-containing side chains into the 7alpha-position of the steroid scaffold and found that 17-keto derivative CH4893237 (12b) functioned as a pure antiestrogen with its oral activity much superior to clinically used pure antiestrogen, ICI182,780. Results from the pharmacokinetic evaluation indicated that the potent antiestrogen activity at oral dosing in mice attributed to both improved absorption from the intestinal wall and metabolic stability in liver.

New records of larval stages of the eel cod genus Muraenolepis Günther 1880 (Gadiformes: Muraenolepididae) from the western Antarctic Peninsula.

PubMed

Konstantinidis, P; Hilton, E J; Matarese, A C

2016-08-01

Three newly discovered larval specimens of the genus Muraenolepis collected from the waters of the western Antarctic Peninsula are described. Knowledge of their natural history is sparse and information about their early life history is based on only a few larval stages. Here, the available literature on larval eel cods is reviewed, and the specimens placed in context. © 2016 The Fisheries Society of the British Isles.

ARC-1986-A86-7032

NASA Image and Video Library

1986-01-24

P-29516 BW Range: 125, 000 kilometers (78,000 miles) Voyager 2's wide-angle camera captured this view of the outer part of the Uranian ring system just 11 minutes before passing though the ring plane. The resolution in this clear-filter view is slightly better than 9 km (6 mi). The brightest, outermost ring is known as epsilon. Interior to epsilon lie (from top) the newly discovered 10th ring of Uranus--designated 1986UR1 and barely visible here--and then the delta, gamma and eta rings.

Qualification test results for DOE solar photovoltaic flat panel procurement - PRDA 38

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Griffith, J. S.

1980-01-01

Twelve types of prototypes modules for the DOE Photovoltaic Flat Panel Procurement (PRDA 38) were subjected to qualification tests at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory according to a new specification. Environmental exposures were carried out separately and included temperature cycling, humidity, wind simulation, and hail. The most serious problems discovered were reduced insulation resistance to ground and ground continuity of the metal frames, electrical degradation, erratic power readings, and delamination. The electrical and physical characteristics of the newly received modules are also given.

tirant, a newly discovered active endogenous retrovirus in Drosophila simulans.

PubMed

Akkouche, Abdou; Rebollo, Rita; Burlet, Nelly; Esnault, Caroline; Martinez, Sonia; Viginier, Barbara; Terzian, Christophe; Vieira, Cristina; Fablet, Marie

2012-04-01

Endogenous retroviruses have the ability to become permanently integrated into the genomes of their host, and they are generally transmitted vertically from parent to progeny. With the exception of gypsy, few endogenous retroviruses have been identified in insects. In this study, we describe the tirant endogenous retrovirus in a subset of Drosophila simulans natural populations. By focusing on the envelope gene, we show that the entire retroviral cycle (transcription, translation, and retrotransposition) can be completed for tirant within one population of this species.

Clostridiumm ljungdahlii, an anaerobic ethanol and acetate producing microorganism

DOEpatents

Gaddy, J.L.; Clausen, E.C.

1992-12-22

A newly discovered microorganism was isolated in a biologically pure culture and designated Clostridium ljungdahlii, having the identifying characteristics of ATCC No. 49587. Cultured in an aqueous nutrient medium under anaerobic conditions, this microorganism is capable of producing ethanol and acetate from CO and H[sub 2]O and/or CO[sub 2] and H[sub 2] in synthesis gas. Under optimal growth conditions, the microorganism produces acetate in preference to ethanol. Conversely, under non-growth conditions, ethanol production is favored over acetate. 3 figs.

"Non-Vocalization": A Phonological Error Process in the Speech of Severely and Profoundly Hearing Impaired Adults, from the Point of View of the Theory of Phonology as Human Behaviour

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Halpern, Orly; Tobin, Yishai

2008-01-01

"Non-vocalization" (N-V) is a newly described phonological error process in hearing impaired speakers. In N-V the hearing impaired person actually articulates the phoneme but without producing a voice. The result is an error process looking as if it is produced but sounding as if it is omitted. N-V was discovered by video recording the speech of…

Clostridiumm ljungdahlii, an anaerobic ethanol and acetate producing microorganism

DOEpatents

Gaddy, James L.; Clausen, Edgar C.

1992-01-01

A newly discovered microorganism was isolated in a biologically pure culture and designated Clostridium ljungdahlii, having the identifying characteristics of ATCC No. 49587. Cultured in an aqueous nutrient medium under anaerobic conditions, this microorganism is capable of producing ethanol and acetate from CO and H.sub.2 O and/or CO.sub.2 and H.sub.2 in synthesis gas. Under optimal growth conditions, the microorganism produces acetate in preference to ethanol. Conversely, under non-growth conditions, ethanol production is favored over acetate.

Functional Expression. Ephrin Receptor Tropism, and Heterotypic Functionality of the Attachment and Fusion Glycoproteins of Cedar Virus, a Newly Discovered Henipavirus

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-08-20

in West Africa. Despite this broad range of seropositivity in bats, HeV and NiV outbreaks have only been described in Australia, Malaysia , India...to Hendra infection (http://www.daff.qld.gov.au/4790_2900.htm). Nipah virus was described during an outbreak of encephalitis in Malaysia and...measures which brought the outbreak to an end [7], even as it caused a devastating amount of damage to the economy of Malaysia . Following the

Molecular detection of kobuviruses in European roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) in Italy.

PubMed

Di Martino, Barbara; Di Profio, Federica; Melegari, Irene; Di Felice, Elisabetta; Robetto, Serena; Guidetti, Cristina; Orusa, Riccardo; Martella, Vito; Marsilio, Fulvio

2015-08-01

Kobuvirus RNA was found in 6.6 % (13/198) of stool specimens from roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) captured during the regular hunting season. Upon sequence analysis of a fragment of the 3D gene, nine strains displayed the highest nucleotide sequence identity (91.2-97.4 %) to bovine kobuviruses previously detected in either diarrhoeic or asymptomatic calves. Interestingly, four strains were genetically related to the newly discovered caprine kobuviruses (84.2-87.6 % nucleotide identity) identified in black goats in Korea.

¹⁹F magnetic resonance probes for live-cell detection of peroxynitrite using an oxidative decarbonylation reaction.

PubMed

Bruemmer, Kevin J; Merrikhihaghi, Sara; Lollar, Christina T; Morris, Siti Nur Sarah; Bauer, Johannes H; Lippert, Alexander R

2014-10-21

We report a newly discovered oxidative decarbonylation reaction of isatins that is selectively mediated by peroxynitrite (ONOO(-)) to provide anthranilic acid derivatives. We have harnessed this rapid and selective transformation to develop two reaction-based probes, 5-fluoroisatin and 6-fluoroisatin, for the low-background readout of ONOO(-) using (19)F magnetic resonance spectroscopy. 5-fluoroisatin was used to non-invasively detect ONOO(-) formation in living lung epithelial cells stimulated with interferon-γ (IFN-γ).

Planck 2013 results. XXXII. The updated Planck catalogue of Sunyaev-Zeldovich sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Planck Collaboration; Ade, P. A. R.; Aghanim, N.; Armitage-Caplan, C.; Arnaud, M.; Ashdown, M.; Atrio-Barandela, F.; Aumont, J.; Aussel, H.; Baccigalupi, C.; Banday, A. J.; Barreiro, R. B.; Barrena, R.; Bartelmann, M.; Bartlett, J. G.; Battaner, E.; Benabed, K.; Benoît, A.; Benoit-Lévy, A.; Bernard, J.-P.; Bersanelli, M.; Bielewicz, P.; Bikmaev, I.; Bobin, J.; Bock, J. J.; Böhringer, H.; Bonaldi, A.; Bond, J. R.; Borrill, J.; Bouchet, F. R.; Bridges, M.; Bucher, M.; Burenin, R.; Burigana, C.; Butler, R. C.; Cardoso, J.-F.; Carvalho, P.; Catalano, A.; Challinor, A.; Chamballu, A.; Chary, R.-R.; Chen, X.; Chiang, H. C.; Chiang, L.-Y.; Chon, G.; Christensen, P. R.; Churazov, E.; Church, S.; Clements, D. L.; Colombi, S.; Colombo, L. P. L.; Comis, B.; Couchot, F.; Coulais, A.; Crill, B. P.; Curto, A.; Cuttaia, F.; Da Silva, A.; Dahle, H.; Danese, L.; Davies, R. D.; Davis, R. J.; de Bernardis, P.; de Rosa, A.; de Zotti, G.; Delabrouille, J.; Delouis, J.-M.; Démoclès, J.; Désert, F.-X.; Dickinson, C.; Diego, J. M.; Dolag, K.; Dole, H.; Donzelli, S.; Doré, O.; Douspis, M.; Dupac, X.; Efstathiou, G.; Enßlin, T. A.; Eriksen, H. K.; Feroz, F.; Ferragamo, A.; Finelli, F.; Flores-Cacho, I.; Forni, O.; Frailis, M.; Franceschi, E.; Fromenteau, S.; Galeotta, S.; Ganga, K.; Génova-Santos, R. T.; Giard, M.; Giardino, G.; Gilfanov, M.; Giraud-Héraud, Y.; González-Nuevo, J.; Górski, K. M.; Grainge, K. J. B.; Gratton, S.; Gregorio, A.; Groeneboom, N., E.; Gruppuso, A.; Hansen, F. K.; Hanson, D.; Harrison, D.; Hempel, A.; Henrot-Versillé, S.; Hernández-Monteagudo, C.; Herranz, D.; Hildebrandt, S. R.; Hivon, E.; Hobson, M.; Holmes, W. A.; Hornstrup, A.; Hovest, W.; Huffenberger, K. M.; Hurier, G.; Hurley-Walker, N.; Jaffe, A. H.; Jaffe, T. R.; Jones, W. C.; Juvela, M.; Keihänen, E.; Keskitalo, R.; Khamitov, I.; Kisner, T. S.; Kneissl, R.; Knoche, J.; Knox, L.; Kunz, M.; Kurki-Suonio, H.; Lagache, G.; Lähteenmäki, A.; Lamarre, J.-M.; Lasenby, A.; Laureijs, R. J.; Lawrence, C. R.; Leahy, J. P.; Leonardi, R.; León-Tavares, J.; Lesgourgues, J.; Li, C.; Liddle, A.; Liguori, M.; Lilje, P. B.; Linden-Vørnle, M.; López-Caniego, M.; Lubin, P. M.; Macías-Pérez, J. F.; MacTavish, C. J.; Maffei, B.; Maino, D.; Mandolesi, N.; Maris, M.; Marshall, D. J.; Martin, P. G.; Martínez-González, E.; Masi, S.; Massardi, M.; Matarrese, S.; Matthai, F.; Mazzotta, P.; Mei, S.; Meinhold, P. R.; Melchiorri, A.; Melin, J.-B.; Mendes, L.; Mennella, A.; Migliaccio, M.; Mikkelsen, K.; Mitra, S.; Miville-Deschênes, M.-A.; Moneti, A.; Montier, L.; Morgante, G.; Mortlock, D.; Munshi, D.; Murphy, J. A.; Naselsky, P.; Nastasi, A.; Nati, F.; Natoli, P.; Nesvadba, N. P. H.; Netterfield, C. B.; Nørgaard-Nielsen, H. U.; Noviello, F.; Novikov, D.; Novikov, I.; O'Dwyer, I. J.; Olamaie, M.; Osborne, S.; Oxborrow, C. A.; Paci, F.; Pagano, L.; Pajot, F.; Paoletti, D.; Pasian, F.; Patanchon, G.; Pearson, T. J.; Perdereau, O.; Perotto, L.; Perrott, Y. C.; Perrotta, F.; Piacentini, F.; Piat, M.; Pierpaoli, E.; Pietrobon, D.; Plaszczynski, S.; Pointecouteau, E.; Polenta, G.; Ponthieu, N.; Popa, L.; Poutanen, T.; Pratt, G. W.; Prézeau, G.; Prunet, S.; Puget, J.-L.; Rachen, J. P.; Reach, W. T.; Rebolo, R.; Reinecke, M.; Remazeilles, M.; Renault, C.; Ricciardi, S.; Riller, T.; Ristorcelli, I.; Rocha, G.; Rosset, C.; Roudier, G.; Rowan-Robinson, M.; Rubiño-Martín, J. A.; Rumsey, C.; Rusholme, B.; Sandri, M.; Santos, D.; Saunders, R. D. E.; Savini, G.; Schammel, M. P.; Scott, D.; Seiffert, M. D.; Shellard, E. P. S.; Shimwell, T. W.; Spencer, L. D.; Starck, J.-L.; Stolyarov, V.; Stompor, R.; Streblyanska, A.; Sudiwala, R.; Sunyaev, R.; Sureau, F.; Sutton, D.; Suur-Uski, A.-S.; Sygnet, J.-F.; Tauber, J. A.; Tavagnacco, D.; Terenzi, L.; Toffolatti, L.; Tomasi, M.; Tramonte, D.; Tristram, M.; Tucci, M.; Tuovinen, J.; Türler, M.; Umana, G.; Valenziano, L.; Valiviita, J.; Van Tent, B.; Vibert, L.; Vielva, P.; Villa, F.; Vittorio, N.; Wade, L. A.; Wandelt, B. D.; White, M.; White, S. D. M.; Yvon, D.; Zacchei, A.; Zonca, A.

2015-09-01

We update the all-sky Planck catalogue of 1227 clusters and cluster candidates (PSZ1) published in March 2013, derived from detections of the Sunyaev-Zeldovich (SZ) effect using the first 15.5 months of Planck satellite observations. As an addendum, we deliver an updated version of the PSZ1 catalogue, reporting the further confirmation of 86 Planck-discovered clusters. In total, the PSZ1 now contains 947 confirmed clusters, of which 214 were confirmed as newly discovered clusters through follow-up observations undertaken by the Planck Collaboration. The updated PSZ1 contains redshifts for 913 systems, of which 736 (~ 80.6%) are spectroscopic, and associated mass estimates derived from the Yz mass proxy. We also provide a new SZ quality flag for the remaining 280 candidates. This flag was derived from a novel artificial neural-network classification of the SZ signal. Based on this assessment, the purity of the updated PSZ1 catalogue is estimated to be 94%. In this release, we provide the full updated catalogue and an additional readme file with further information on the Planck SZ detections. The catalogue is only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (ftp://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/581/A14

A Diversity of Conserved and Novel Ovarian MicroRNAs in the Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria)

PubMed Central

Quah, Shan; Breuker, Casper J.; Holland, Peter W. H.

2015-01-01

microRNAs (miRNAs) are important regulators of animal development and other processes, and impart robustness to living systems through post-transcriptional regulation of specific mRNA transcripts. It is postulated that newly emergent miRNAs are generally expressed at low levels and with spatiotemporally restricted expression domains, thus minimising effects of spurious targeting on animal transcriptomes. Here we present ovarian miRNA transcriptome data for two geographically distinct populations of the Speckled Wood butterfly (Pararge aegeria). A total of 74 miRNAs were identified, including 11 newly discovered and evolutionarily-young miRNAs, bringing the total of miRNA genes known from P. aegeria up to 150. We find a positive correlation between miRNA age and expression level. A common set of 55 miRNAs are expressed in both populations. From this set, we identify seven that are consistently either ovary-specific or highly upregulated in ovaries relative to other tissues. This ‘ovary set’ includes miRNAs with known contributions to ovarian function in other insect species with similar ovaries and mode of oogenesis, including miR-989 and miR-2763, plus new candidates for ovarian function. We also note that conserved miRNAs are overrepresented in the ovary relative to the whole body. PMID:26556800

NMT - A new individual ion counting method: Comparison to a Faraday cup

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burton, Michael; Gorbunov, Boris

2018-03-01

Two sample detectors used to analyze the emission from Gas Chromatography (GC) columns are the Flame Ionization Detector (FID) and the Electron Capture Detector (ECD). Both of these detectors involve ionization of the sample molecules and then measuring electric current in the gas using a Faraday cup. In this paper a newly discovered method of ion counting, Nanotechnology Molecular Tagging (NMT) is tested as a replacement to the Faraday cup in GCs. In this method the effective physical volume of individual molecules is enlarged up to 1 billion times enabling them to be detected by an optical particle counter. It was found that the sensitivity of NMT was considerably greater than the Faraday cup. The background in the NMT was circa 200 ions per cm3, corresponding to an extremely low electric current ∼10-17 A.

Personalized targeted therapy for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

PubMed Central

Kang, Xiaozheng; Chen, Keneng; Li, Yicheng; Li, Jianying; D'Amico, Thomas A; Chen, Xiaoxin

2015-01-01

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma continues to heavily burden clinicians worldwide. Researchers have discovered the genomic landscape of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, which holds promise for an era of personalized oncology care. One of the most pressing problems facing this issue is to improve the understanding of the newly available genomic data, and identify the driver-gene mutations, pathways, and networks. The emergence of a legion of novel targeted agents has generated much hope and hype regarding more potent treatment regimens, but the accuracy of drug selection is still arguable. Other problems, such as cancer heterogeneity, drug resistance, exceptional responders, and side effects, have to be surmounted. Evolving topics in personalized oncology, such as interpretation of genomics data, issues in targeted therapy, research approaches for targeted therapy, and future perspectives, will be discussed in this editorial. PMID:26167067

Enhanced Intracellular Delivery and Tissue Retention of Nanoparticles by Mussel-Inspired Surface Chemistry.

PubMed

Chen, Kai; Xu, Xiaoqiu; Guo, Jiawei; Zhang, Xuelin; Han, Songling; Wang, Ruibing; Li, Xiaohui; Zhang, Jianxiang

2015-11-09

Nanomaterials have been broadly studied for intracellular delivery of diverse compounds for diagnosis or therapy. Currently it remains challenging for discovering new biomolecules that can prominently enhance cellular internalization and tissue retention of nanoparticles (NPs). Herein we report for the first time that a mussel-inspired engineering approach may notably promote cellular uptake and tissue retention of NPs. In this strategy, the catechol moiety is covalently anchored onto biodegradable NPs. Thus, fabricated NPs can be more effectively internalized by sensitive and multidrug resistant tumor cells, as well as some normal cells, resulting in remarkably potentiated in vitro activity when an antitumor drug is packaged. Moreover, the newly engineered NPs afford increased tissue retention post local or oral delivery. This biomimetic approach is promising for creating functional nanomaterials for drug delivery, vaccination, and cell therapy.

The 5-HT(4) agonists cisapride, mosapride, and CJ-033466, a Novel potent compound, exhibit different human ether-a-go-go-related gene (hERG)-blocking activities.

PubMed

Toga, Tetsuo; Kohmura, Yumi; Kawatsu, Ryoichi

2007-10-01

The blocking effect of three 5-HT(4) agonists, cisapride, mosapride, and the newly discovered CJ-033466 on the human ether-a-go-go-related gene (hERG) channel was studied using a whole cell patch-clamp technique in HEK293 cells. Cisapride was found to be the most potent of the hERG blockers. CJ-033466 had the widest safety margin between its hERG blocking activity and 5-HT(4) agonism among the tested compounds. This suggests a lower clinical risk of cardiac arrhythmia in CJ-033466 compared with the other 2 agonists. Therefore, CJ-033466 has the potential to be a drug with higher therapeutic efficacy and less cardiac risk than both cisapride and mosapride.

Effect of disorder on the pressure-induced superconducting state of CeAu 2Si 2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ren, Z.; Giriat, G.; Scheerer, G. W.; Lapertot, G.; Jaccard, D.

2015-03-01

CeAu2Si2 is a newly discovered pressure-induced heavy fermion superconductor, which shows very unusual interplay between superconductivity and magnetism under pressure. Here we compare the results of high-pressure measurements on single-crystalline CeAu2Si2 samples with different levels of disorder. It is found that while the magnetic properties are essentially sample independent, superconductivity is rapidly suppressed when the residual resistivity of the sample increases. We show that the depression of bulk Tc can be well understood in terms of pair breaking by nonmagnetic disorder, which strongly suggests an unconventional pairing state in pressurized CeAu2Si2 . Furthermore, increasing the level of disorder leads to the emergence of another phase transition at T* within the magnetic phase, which might be in competition with superconductivity.

Global Instability on Laminar Separation Bubbles-Revisited

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Theofilis, Vassilis; Rodriquez, Daniel; Smith, Douglas

2010-01-01

In the last 3 years, global linear instability of LSB has been revisited, using state-of-the-art hardware and algorithms. Eigenspectra of LSB flows have been understood and classified in branches of known and newly-discovered eigenmodes. Major achievements: World-largest numerical solutions of global eigenvalue problems are routinely performed. Key aerodynamic phenomena have been explained via critical point theory, applied to our global mode results. Theoretical foundation for control of LSB flows has been laid. Global mode of LSB at the origin of observable phenomena. U-separation on semi-infinite plate. Stall cells on (stalled) airfoil. Receptivity/Sensitivity/AFC feasible (practical?) via: Adjoint EVP solution. Direct/adjoint coupling (the Crete connection). Minor effect of compressibility on global instability in the subsonic compressible regime. Global instability analysis of LSB in realistic supersonic flows apparently quite some way down the horizon.

Examining the diversity and distribution of microbial communities from newly discovered methane seeps along the Cascadia Margin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seabrook, S.; Thurber, A. R.; Embley, R. W.; Raineault, N.; Baumberger, T.; Merle, S. G.

2016-12-01

Methane seeps provide biogeochemical and microbial heterogeneity in deep-sea habitats. In June of 2016 the E/V Nautilus, exploring for methane seeps along the Cascadia continental margin, discovered over 450 bubble streams, indicative of active seepage, and collected biological samples at 6 of the resulting newly discovered seeps. These seeps covered a range of depths, latitudes, habitat types and biogeochemical environments and included: Juan de Fuca (150m), Astoria canyon (800m and 500m), Nehalem Bank (185m), Heceta SW (1200m), SW Coquille Bank (600m), and Klamath Knoll seep (700m). Geologic environment types included continental shelf, canyons and slopes, and these sites spanned the zone of hydrate stability and the Oxygen Minimum Zone. A range of seep-specific habitat were found and sampled including: reduced sediments, microbial mats, methane hydrates, clam beds (Calyptogena spp.), Siboglinidae tubeworm assemblages and sparse assemblages of stalked barnacles. Here, we present an initial characterization of the microbial communities collected via push cores by a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) at the six aforementioned sites. With high throughput amplicon sequencing of the V4-V5 region of the 16S rRNA gene, we characterize the diversity and microbial composition of the seep sites sampled. This characterization is furthered with digital drop PCR of the pmoA gene (involved with aerobic methanotrophy) to allow for a comparison of the community composition with functional gene abundance of critical microbial processes. These data will be placed in the greater biogeochemical context of the region, including direct comparison with paired gas-tight sampling at key locations. The results of these analyses will provide the first microbial description of this broad range of seep ecosystems along the Cascadia Margin adding to our overall understanding of microbial diversity, the dominant physiological processes at seep ecosystems, and the connection between community structure, function and biogeochemistry in habitats which we are just starting to appreciate for their ubiquity in marine environments.

Flightless Notaris (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Brachycerinae: Erirhinini) in Southwest China: monophyly, mtDNA phylogeography and evolution of habitat associations.

PubMed

Grebennikov, Vasily V; Kolov, Sergey V

2016-04-26

This paper reports the recent discovery of flightless populations of weevils of the genus Notaris in Yunnan and Sichuan provinces of China. Specimens were found in the middle or high altitude mountains (2440-4195 m), by either sifting leaf litter in the deciduous forest and among alpine Rhododendron shrubs, or by turning rocks in the alpine zone. These finds extend southwards the Asian range of this Holarctic genus and report its highest altitudinal records. DNA barcodes of 127 specimens were phylogenetically analysed, of them 42 are those of newly discovered Notaris from Southwest China. The genera Notaris and Tournotaris consistently formed a clade, with Tournotaris nested inside Notaris in Maximum Parsimony (MP) and Maximum Likelihood (ML) analysis. The newly discovered flightless Notaris from Southwest China were either monophyletic (MP) or paraphyletic with respect to volant Holarctic N. aethiops (ML); the latter placement being likely an artefact. A strict linear molecular clock approach suggests a pre-Pliocene separation of Notaris populations in Southwest China. Habitat associations of these high-altitude flightless Notaris contrast sharply with that of the predominantly volant lowland riparian Notaris and other Erirhinini. We hypothesis that evolution of habitat selection in Notaris went from lowland riparian, to high altitude (via uplift of the Tibetan Plateau and adjacent regions of Central Asia), and then to forest leaf litter (via subsequent erosions of isolated mountains such as Emei Shan in Sichuan losing the alpine zone and forcing Notaris into the forest floor). Taxonomic uncertainty of Asian Notaris is addressed and remains unresolved due to uninformative morphology and conflicting DNA signal. Identities of two obscure and likely closely related species, Notaroides brevirostris and Notaris kozlovi from nearby SE Qinghai and NW Sichuan, respectively, are discussed and illustrated. Pending further research, all reported flightless Notaris from Yunnan and Sichuan are hypothesised to form a clade, for which the available name N. kozlovi is used. Habitus and genitalia of Notaris specimens from the newly detected populations are illustrated.

The origin of modern metabolic networks inferred from phylogenomic analysis of protein architecture.

PubMed

Caetano-Anollés, Gustavo; Kim, Hee Shin; Mittenthal, Jay E

2007-05-29

Metabolism represents a complex collection of enzymatic reactions and transport processes that convert metabolites into molecules capable of supporting cellular life. Here we explore the origins and evolution of modern metabolism. Using phylogenomic information linked to the structure of metabolic enzymes, we sort out recruitment processes and discover that most enzymatic activities were associated with the nine most ancient and widely distributed protein fold architectures. An analysis of newly discovered functions showed enzymatic diversification occurred early, during the onset of the modern protein world. Most importantly, phylogenetic reconstruction exercises and other evidence suggest strongly that metabolism originated in enzymes with the P-loop hydrolase fold in nucleotide metabolism, probably in pathways linked to the purine metabolic subnetwork. Consequently, the first enzymatic takeover of an ancient biochemistry or prebiotic chemistry was related to the synthesis of nucleotides for the RNA world.

G306.3-0.9: A Newly Discovered Young Galactic Supernova Remnant

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reynolds, Mark T.; Loi, Syheh T.; Murphy, Tara; Miller, Jon M.; Maitra, Dipankar; Gueltekin, Kayhan; Gehrels, Neil; Kennea, Jamie A.; Siegel, Michael H.; Gelbord, Jonathan;

A Hybrid Computational Method for the Discovery of Novel Reproduction-Related Genes

PubMed Central

Chen, Lei; Chu, Chen; Kong, Xiangyin; Huang, Guohua; Huang, Tao; Cai, Yu-Dong

2015-01-01

Uncovering the molecular mechanisms underlying reproduction is of great importance to infertility treatment and to the generation of healthy offspring. In this study, we discovered novel reproduction-related genes with a hybrid computational method, integrating three different types of method, which offered new clues for further reproduction research. This method was first executed on a weighted graph, constructed based on known protein-protein interactions, to search the shortest paths connecting any two known reproduction-related genes. Genes occurring in these paths were deemed to have a special relationship with reproduction. These newly discovered genes were filtered with a randomization test. Then, the remaining genes were further selected according to their associations with known reproduction-related genes measured by protein-protein interaction score and alignment score obtained by BLAST. The in-depth analysis of the high confidence novel reproduction genes revealed hidden mechanisms of reproduction and provided guidelines for further experimental validations. PMID:25768094

The pressure is all in your head: A cilia-driven high-pressure pump in the head of a deep-sea animal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nawroth, Janna; Katija, Kakani; Shelley, Michael; Kanso, Eva

2017-11-01

Motile cilia are microscopic, hair-like structures on the cell surface that can sense and propel the extracellular fluid environment. In many ciliated systems found in nature, such as the mammalian airways and marine sponges, the organization and collective behavior of the cilia favors the pumping of fluids at low pressures and high volumes. We recently discovered an alternate design located in the head of a deep-sea animal called Larvacean. Here, cilia morphology, kinematics and flow indicate a role in maintaining the hydrostatic skeleton of the animal by generating a high-pressure flow. We describe our empirical and computational approaches toward understanding the design principles and dynamic range of this newly discovered pumping mechanism. In ongoing work, we further explore the fluid dynamic constraints on the morphological diversity of cilia and the resulting categories of fluid transport functions.

A hybrid computational method for the discovery of novel reproduction-related genes.

PubMed

Chen, Lei; Chu, Chen; Kong, Xiangyin; Huang, Guohua; Huang, Tao; Cai, Yu-Dong

2015-01-01

Uncovering the molecular mechanisms underlying reproduction is of great importance to infertility treatment and to the generation of healthy offspring. In this study, we discovered novel reproduction-related genes with a hybrid computational method, integrating three different types of method, which offered new clues for further reproduction research. This method was first executed on a weighted graph, constructed based on known protein-protein interactions, to search the shortest paths connecting any two known reproduction-related genes. Genes occurring in these paths were deemed to have a special relationship with reproduction. These newly discovered genes were filtered with a randomization test. Then, the remaining genes were further selected according to their associations with known reproduction-related genes measured by protein-protein interaction score and alignment score obtained by BLAST. The in-depth analysis of the high confidence novel reproduction genes revealed hidden mechanisms of reproduction and provided guidelines for further experimental validations.

CRISPRTarget

PubMed Central

Biswas, Ambarish; Gagnon, Joshua N.; Brouns, Stan J.J.; Fineran, Peter C.; Brown, Chris M.

2013-01-01

The bacterial and archaeal CRISPR/Cas adaptive immune system targets specific protospacer nucleotide sequences in invading organisms. This requires base pairing between processed CRISPR RNA and the target protospacer. For type I and II CRISPR/Cas systems, protospacer adjacent motifs (PAM) are essential for target recognition, and for type III, mismatches in the flanking sequences are important in the antiviral response. In this study, we examine the properties of each class of CRISPR. We use this information to provide a tool (CRISPRTarget) that predicts the most likely targets of CRISPR RNAs (http://bioanalysis.otago.ac.nz/CRISPRTarget). This can be used to discover targets in newly sequenced genomic or metagenomic data. To test its utility, we discover features and targets of well-characterized Streptococcus thermophilus and Sulfolobus solfataricus type II and III CRISPR/Cas systems. Finally, in Pectobacterium species, we identify new CRISPR targets and propose a model of temperate phage exposure and subsequent inhibition by the type I CRISPR/Cas systems. PMID:23492433

A Mountain Range within Pluto Heart

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-07-21

A newly discovered mountain range lies near the southwestern margin of Pluto heart-shaped Tombaugh Regio Tombaugh Region, situated between bright, icy plains and dark, heavily-cratered terrain. This image was acquired by NASA's New Horizons' Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) on July 14, 2015, from a distance of 48,000 miles (77,000 kilometers) and sent back to Earth on July 20. Features as small as a half-mile (1 kilometer) across are visible. These frozen peaks are estimated to be one-half mile to one mile (1-1.5 kilometers) high, about the same height as the United States' Appalachian Mountains. The Norgay Montes (Norgay Mountains) discovered by New Horizons on July 15 more closely approximate the height of the taller Rocky Mountains The names of features on Pluto have all been given on an informal basis by the New Horizons team. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA19842

Serology and cytokine profiles in patients infected with the newly discovered Bundibugyo ebolavirus.

PubMed

Gupta, Manisha; MacNeil, Adam; Reed, Zachary D; Rollin, Pierre E; Spiropoulou, Christina F

2012-02-20

A new species of Ebolavirus, Bundibugyo ebolavirus, was discovered in an outbreak in western Uganda in November 2007. To study the correlation between fatal infection and immune response in Bundibugyo ebolavirus infection, viral antigen, antibodies, and 17 soluble factors important for innate immunity were examined in 44 patient samples. Using Luminex assays, we found that fatal infection was associated with high levels of viral antigen, low levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, and high levels of immunosuppressor cytokines like IL-10. Also, acute infected patients died in spite of generating high levels of antibodies against the virus. Thus, our results imply that disease severity in these patients is not due to the multi-organ failure and septic shock caused by a flood of inflammatory cytokines, as seen in infections with other Ebolavirus species. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Prediction of Low-Thermal-Conductivity Compounds with First-Principles Anharmonic Lattice-Dynamics Calculations and Bayesian Optimization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seko, Atsuto; Togo, Atsushi; Hayashi, Hiroyuki; Tsuda, Koji; Chaput, Laurent; Tanaka, Isao

2015-11-01

Compounds of low lattice thermal conductivity (LTC) are essential for seeking thermoelectric materials with high conversion efficiency. Some strategies have been used to decrease LTC. However, such trials have yielded successes only within a limited exploration space. Here, we report the virtual screening of a library containing 54 779 compounds. Our strategy is to search the library through Bayesian optimization using for the initial data the LTC obtained from first-principles anharmonic lattice-dynamics calculations for a set of 101 compounds. We discovered 221 materials with very low LTC. Two of them even have an electronic band gap <1 eV , which makes them exceptional candidates for thermoelectric applications. In addition to those newly discovered thermoelectric materials, the present strategy is believed to be powerful for many other applications in which the chemistry of materials is required to be optimized.

Research trend in thermally stimulated current method for development of materials and devices in Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iwamoto, Mitsumasa; Taguchi, Dai

2018-03-01

Thermally stimulated current (TSC) measurement is widely used in a variety of research fields, i.e., physics, electronics, electrical engineering, chemistry, ceramics, and biology. TSC is short-circuit current that flows owing to the displacement of charges in samples during heating. TSC measurement is very simple, but TSC curves give very important information on charge behaviors. In the 1970s, TSC measurement contributed greatly to the development of electrical insulation engineering, semiconductor device technology, and so forth. Accordingly, the TSC experimental technique and its analytical method advanced. Over the past decades, many new molecules and advanced functional materials have been discovered and developed. Along with this, TSC measurement has attracted much attention in industries and academic laboratories as a way of characterizing newly discovered materials and devices. In this review, we report the latest research trend in the TSC method for the development of materials and devices in Japan.

Clinical implications of infection with a novel metastrongyloid species in the red panda (Ailurus fulgens).

PubMed

Willesen, Jakob L; Meyland-Smith, Frederik; Wiinberg, Bo; Monrad, Jesper; Bertelsen, Mads F

2012-06-01

In a recent survey, 30% of the European red panda (Ailurus fulgens) population was found to be infected with a newly discovered metastrongyloid nematode. In a following prospective study, four naturally infected captive-bred red pandas infected with this parasite were examined and compared with two uninfected control animals. On clinical examination, no abnormalities were detected with respect to vital parameters and cardiovascular system in all six examined animals. Similarly, few and nonspecific changes were recorded on serum biochemistry. No changes on pulmonary pattern were noted on thoracic radiographs. Vertebral heart scores were between 7.2 to 8.6, and no difference was noted between infected and control animals. Two animals had slightly prolonged clotting time and reaction time on thromboelastography but not likely to be of clinical relevance. In conclusion, infection with the newly identified metastrongyloid nematode in the red pandas seems to have little or no clinical importance.

Implementing a rational and consistent nomenclature for serine/arginine-rich protein splicing factors (SR proteins) in plants.

PubMed

Barta, Andrea; Kalyna, Maria; Reddy, Anireddy S N

2010-09-01

Growing interest in alternative splicing in plants and the extensive sequencing of new plant genomes necessitate more precise definition and classification of genes coding for splicing factors. SR proteins are a family of RNA binding proteins, which function as essential factors for constitutive and alternative splicing. We propose a unified nomenclature for plant SR proteins, taking into account the newly revised nomenclature of the mammalian SR proteins and a number of plant-specific properties of the plant proteins. We identify six subfamilies of SR proteins in Arabidopsis thaliana and rice (Oryza sativa), three of which are plant specific. The proposed subdivision of plant SR proteins into different subfamilies will allow grouping of paralogous proteins and simple assignment of newly discovered SR orthologs from other plant species and will promote functional comparisons in diverse plant species.

New species, new records and new morphological characters of the genus Tillicera Spinola from China (Coleoptera, Cleridae, Clerinae)

PubMed Central

Yang, Ganyan; Montreuil, Olivier; Yang, Xingke

2011-01-01

Abstract Two new species of the genus Tillicera Spinola, 1841 from China are described and illustrated: Tillicera sensibilis sp. n. from Yunnan (also from Myanmar, Thailand and Laos) and Tillicera wenii sp. n. from Taiwan. Tillicera bibalteata Gorham, 1892, Tillicera hirsuta (Pic, 1926) and Tillicera michaeli Gerstmeier & Bernhard, 2010 are newly recorded from China. Tillicera auratofasciata (Pic, 1927) is newly recorded in some provinces of China. A key to species of the genus from China is provided. Relationships between species are discussed with emphasis on characters of male phallus, female internal reproductive organs and pit-like sensilla in male terminal antennomere, which is discovered in Tillicera for the first time. The present generic definition of Tillicera is discussed as well. Photos of terminalia of the previously known species are also provided for comparison. PMID:21998525

Spectral Identification of New Galactic cLBV and WR Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stringfellow, G. S.; Gvaramadze, V. V.; Beletsky, Y.; Kniazev, A. Y.

2012-12-01

We have undertaken a near-IR spectral survey of stars associated with compact nebulae recently revealed by the Spitzer and WISE imaging surveys. These circumstellar nebulae, produced by massive evolved stars, display a variety of symmetries and shapes and are often only evident at mid-IR wavelengths. Stars associated with ˜50 of these nebulae have been observed. We also obtained recent spectra of previously confirmed (known) luminous blue variables (LBVs) and candidate LBVs (cLBVs). The spectral similarity of the stars observed when compared directly to known LBVs and Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars indicate many are newly identified cLBVs, with a few being newly discovered WR stars, mostly of WN8-9h spectral type. These results suggest that a large population of previously unidentified cLBVs and related transitional stars reside in the Galaxy and confirm that circumstellar nebulae are inherent to most (c)LBVs.

Oscillations and accelerations of ice crystal growth rates in microgravity in presence of antifreeze glycoprotein impurity in supercooled water.

PubMed

Furukawa, Yoshinori; Nagashima, Ken; Nakatsubo, Shun-Ichi; Yoshizaki, Izumi; Tamaru, Haruka; Shimaoka, Taro; Sone, Takehiko; Yokoyama, Etsuro; Zepeda, Salvador; Terasawa, Takanori; Asakawa, Harutoshi; Murata, Ken-Ichiro; Sazaki, Gen

2017-03-06

The free growth of ice crystals in supercooled bulk water containing an impurity of glycoprotein, a bio-macromolecule that functions as 'antifreeze' in living organisms in a subzero environment, was observed under microgravity conditions on the International Space Station. We observed the acceleration and oscillation of the normal growth rates as a result of the interfacial adsorption of these protein molecules, which is a newly discovered impurity effect for crystal growth. As the convection caused by gravity may mitigate or modify this effect, secure observations of this effect were first made possible by continuous measurements of normal growth rates under long-term microgravity condition realized only in the spacecraft. Our findings will lead to a better understanding of a novel kinetic process for growth oscillation in relation to growth promotion due to the adsorption of protein molecules and will shed light on the role that crystal growth kinetics has in the onset of the mysterious antifreeze effect in living organisms, namely, how this protein may prevent fish freezing.

Oscillations and accelerations of ice crystal growth rates in microgravity in presence of antifreeze glycoprotein impurity in supercooled water

PubMed Central

Furukawa, Yoshinori; Nagashima, Ken; Nakatsubo, Shun-ichi; Yoshizaki, Izumi; Tamaru, Haruka; Shimaoka, Taro; Sone, Takehiko; Yokoyama, Etsuro; Zepeda, Salvador; Terasawa, Takanori; Asakawa, Harutoshi; Murata, Ken-ichiro; Sazaki, Gen

2017-01-01

The free growth of ice crystals in supercooled bulk water containing an impurity of glycoprotein, a bio-macromolecule that functions as ‘antifreeze’ in living organisms in a subzero environment, was observed under microgravity conditions on the International Space Station. We observed the acceleration and oscillation of the normal growth rates as a result of the interfacial adsorption of these protein molecules, which is a newly discovered impurity effect for crystal growth. As the convection caused by gravity may mitigate or modify this effect, secure observations of this effect were first made possible by continuous measurements of normal growth rates under long-term microgravity condition realized only in the spacecraft. Our findings will lead to a better understanding of a novel kinetic process for growth oscillation in relation to growth promotion due to the adsorption of protein molecules and will shed light on the role that crystal growth kinetics has in the onset of the mysterious antifreeze effect in living organisms, namely, how this protein may prevent fish freezing. PMID:28262787

New hot spot on Io discovered by NIMS during orbit C9

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1997-01-01

The Near-Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (NIMS) on Galileo observes Io on nearly every orbit as part of a program monitoring the level of volcanic activity on this moon. Io is the most volcanically active body in the Solar System and NIMS has discovered many new volcanoes. The latest addition to the inventory was discovered during orbit C9, at Shamash Patera, located on the side of Io facing away from Jupiter. The image above shows, on the left, the portion of Io imaged during this observation as seen by Voyager. The image on the right shows Io at 4.99 microns (in the infrared). Some of the disk is in darkness, making the identification of these hot spots easier. New names have been given to some of the newly discovered features. The hot spots Isum, Mulungu and Tupan have been active since their discovery during the G1 orbit. Zamama, an active region between Prometheus and Isum, was discovered during G1. It was active through orbit E4 but has since faded considerably.

This image was taken on June 28, 1997, at a resolution of 302 km/pixel.

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC.

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC.

This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov.

Synthesis of 1,2,3-Triazolo[4,5-h]quinolone Derivatives with Novel Anti-Microbial Properties against Metronidazole Resistant Helicobacter pylori.

PubMed

Abu-Sini, Mohammad; Mayyas, Amal; Al-Karablieh, Nehaya; Darwish, Rula; Al-Hiari, Yusuf; Aburjai, Talal; Arabiyat, Shereen; Abu-Qatouseh, Luay

2017-05-20

Helicobacter pylori infection can lead to gastritis, peptic ulcer, and the development of mucosa associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma. Treatment and eradication of H. pylori infection can prevent relapse and accelerate the healing of gastric and duodenal ulcers as well as regression of malignancy. Due to the increasing emergence of antibiotic resistance among clinical isolates of H. pylori , alternative approaches using newly discovered antimicrobial agents in combination with the standard antibiotic regimens for the treatment of H. pylori are of major importance. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of newly synthesized 8-amino 7-substituted fluoroquinolone and their correspondent cyclized triazolo derivatives when either alone or combined with metronidazole against metronidazole-resistant H. pylori . Based on standard antimicrobial susceptibility testing methods and checkerboard titration assay, all of the tested compounds showed interesting antimicrobial activity against 12 clinical strains of H. pylori , with best in vitro effect for compounds 4b and 4c . Fractional inhibitory concentration (FIC) mean values showed synergistic pattern in all compounds of Group 5. In addition, additive activities of some of the tested compounds of Group 4 were observed when combined with metronidazole. In contrast, the tested compounds showed no significant urease inhibition activity. These results support the potential of new fluoroquinolone derivatives to be useful in combination with anti- H. pylori drugs in the management of H. pylori -associated diseases.

Superfluid 3He—the Early Days

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, D. M.; Leggett, A. J.

2011-08-01

A history is given of liquid 3He research from the time when 3He first became available following World War II through 1972 when the discovery of the superfluid phases was made. The Fermi liquid nature was established early on, and the Landau Fermi liquid theory provided a framework for understanding the interactions between the Fermions (quasiparticles). The theory's main triumph was to predict zero sound, which was soon discovered experimentally. Experimental techniques are treated, including adiabatic demagnetization, dilution refrigerator technology, and Pomeranchuk cooling. A description of the superfluid 3He discovery experiments using the latter two of these techniques is given. While existing theories provided a basis for understanding the newly discovered superfluid phases in terms of ℓ>0 Cooper pairs, the unexpected stability of the A phase in the high- P, high- T region of the phase diagram needed for its explanation a creative leap beyond the BCS paradigm. The use of sum rules to interpret some of the unusual magnetic resonance in liquid 3He is discussed. Eventually a complete theory of the spin dynamics of superfluid 3He was developed, which predicted many of the exciting phenomena subsequently discovered.

DISK DETECTIVE: DISCOVERY OF NEW CIRCUMSTELLAR DISK CANDIDATES THROUGH CITIZEN SCIENCE

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

Kuchner, Marc J.; McElwain, Michael; Padgett, Deborah L.

The Disk Detective citizen science project aims to find new stars with 22 μ m excess emission from circumstellar dust using data from NASA’s Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer ( WISE ) mission. Initial cuts on the AllWISE catalog provide an input catalog of 277,686 sources. Volunteers then view images of each source online in 10 different bands to identify false positives (galaxies, interstellar matter, image artifacts, etc.). Sources that survive this online vetting are followed up with spectroscopy on the FLWO Tillinghast telescope. This approach should allow us to unleash the full potential of WISE for finding new debris disksmore » and protoplanetary disks. We announce a first list of 37 new disk candidates discovered by the project, and we describe our vetting and follow-up process. One of these systems appears to contain the first debris disk discovered around a star with a white dwarf companion: HD 74389. We also report four newly discovered classical Be stars (HD 6612, HD 7406, HD 164137, and HD 218546) and a new detection of 22 μ m excess around the previously known debris disk host star HD 22128.« less

The Einstein@Home Gamma-ray Pulsar Survey. II. Source Selection, Spectral Analysis, and Multiwavelength Follow-up

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, J.; Clark, C. J.; Pletsch, H. J.; Guillemot, L.; Johnson, T. J.; Torne, P.; Champion, D. J.; Deneva, J.; Ray, P. S.; Salvetti, D.; Kramer, M.; Aulbert, C.; Beer, C.; Bhattacharyya, B.; Bock, O.; Camilo, F.; Cognard, I.; Cuéllar, A.; Eggenstein, H. B.; Fehrmann, H.; Ferrara, E. C.; Kerr, M.; Machenschalk, B.; Ransom, S. M.; Sanpa-Arsa, S.; Wood, K.

2018-02-01

We report on the analysis of 13 gamma-ray pulsars discovered in the Einstein@Home blind search survey using Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) Pass 8 data. The 13 new gamma-ray pulsars were discovered by searching 118 unassociated LAT sources from the third LAT source catalog (3FGL), selected using the Gaussian Mixture Model machine-learning algorithm on the basis of their gamma-ray emission properties being suggestive of pulsar magnetospheric emission. The new gamma-ray pulsars have pulse profiles and spectral properties similar to those of previously detected young gamma-ray pulsars. Follow-up radio observations have revealed faint radio pulsations from two of the newly discovered pulsars and enabled us to derive upper limits on the radio emission from the others, demonstrating that they are likely radio-quiet gamma-ray pulsars. We also present results from modeling the gamma-ray pulse profiles and radio profiles, if available, using different geometric emission models of pulsars. The high discovery rate of this survey, despite the increasing difficulty of blind pulsar searches in gamma rays, suggests that new systematic surveys such as presented in this article should be continued when new LAT source catalogs become available.

Preparing for TESS: Precision Ground-based Light-curves of Newly Discovered Transiting Exoplanets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Yiting; Stefansson, Gudmundur; Mahadevan, Suvrath; Monson, Andy; Hebb, Leslie; Wisniewski, John; Huehnerhoff, Joseph

2018-01-01

NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), to be launched in early 2018, is expected to catalog a myriad of transiting exoplanet candidates ranging from Earth-sized to gas giants, orbiting a diverse range of stellar types in the solar neighborhood. In particular, TESS will find small planets orbiting the closest and brightest stars, and will enable detailed atmospheric characterizations of planets with current and future telescopes. In the TESS era, ground-based follow-up resources will play a critical role in validating and confirming the planetary nature of the candidates TESS will discover. Along with confirming the planetary nature of exoplanet transits, high precision ground-based transit observations allow us to put further constraints on exoplanet orbital parameters and transit timing variations. In this talk, we present new observations of transiting exoplanets recently discovered by the K2 mission, using the optical diffuser on the 3.5m ARC Telescope at Apache Point Observatory. These include observations of the mini-Neptunes K2-28b and K2-104b orbiting early-to-mid M-dwarfs. In addition, other recent transit observations performed using the robotic 30cm telescope at Las Campanas Observatory in Chile will be presented.

The environmental impacts on the star formation main sequence: An Hα study of the newly discovered rich cluster at z = 1.52

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

Koyama, Yusei; Kodama, Tadayuki; Tadaki, Ken-ichi

2014-07-01

We report the discovery of a strong over-density of galaxies in the field of a radio galaxy at z = 1.52 (4C 65.22) based on our broadband and narrow-band (Hα) photometry with the Subaru Telescope. We find that Hα emitters are located in the outskirts of the density peak (cluster core) dominated by passive red-sequence galaxies. This resembles the situation in lower-redshift clusters, suggesting that the newly discovered structure is a well-evolved rich galaxy cluster at z = 1.5. Our data suggest that the color-density and stellar mass-density relations are already in place at z ∼ 1.5, mostly driven bymore » the passive red massive galaxies residing within r{sub c} ≲ 200 kpc from the cluster core. These environmental trends almost disappear when we consider only star-forming (SF) galaxies. We do not find SFR-density or SSFR-density relations amongst SF galaxies, and the location of the SF main sequence does not significantly change with environment. Nevertheless, we find a tentative hint that star-bursting galaxies (up-scattered objects from the main sequence) are preferentially located in a small group at ∼1 Mpc away from the main body of the cluster. We also argue that the scatter of the SF main sequence could be dependent on the distance to the nearest neighboring galaxy.« less

Strategy for NEO follow-up observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tichy, Milos; Honkova, Michaela; Ticha, Jana; Kocer, Michal

2015-03-01

The Near-Earth Objects (NEOs) belong to the most important small bodies in the solar system, having the capability of close approaches to the Earth and even possibility to collide with the Earth. In fact, it is impossible to calculate reliable orbit of an object from a single night observations. Therefore it is necessary to extend astrometry dataset by early follow-up astrometry. Follow-up observations of the newly discovered NEO candidate should be done over an arc of several hours after the discovery and should be repeated over several following nights. The basic service used for planning of the follow-up observations is the NEO Confirmation Page (NEOCP) maintained by the Minor Planet Center of the IAU. This service provides on-line tool for calculating geocentric and topocentic ephemerides and sky-plane uncertainty maps of these objects at the specific date and time. Uncertainty map is one of the most important information used for planning of follow-up observation strategy for given time, indicating also the estimated distance of the newly discovered object and including possibility of the impact. Moreover, observatories dealing with NEO follow-up regularly have prepared their special tools and systems for follow-up work. The system and strategy for the NEO follow-up observation used at the Klet Observatory are described here. Methods and techniques used at the Klet NEO follow-up CCD astrometric programme, using 1.06-m and 0.57-m telescopes, are also discussed.

Discovery and Characterization of Eclipsing Binary Stars and Transiting Planets in Young Benchmark Clusters: The Pleiades and Hyades

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stassun, Keivan; David, Trevor J.; Conroy, Kyle E.; Hillenbrand, Lynne; Stauffer, John R.; Pepper, Joshua; Rebull, Luisa M.; Cody, Ann Marie

2016-06-01

Prior to K2, only one eclipsing binary in the Pleiades was known (HD 23642). We present the discovery and characterization of three additional eclipsing binaries (EBs) in this ~120 Myr old benchmark open cluster. Unlike HD 23642, all three of the new EBs are low mass (Mtot < 1 M⊙) and thus their components are still undergoing pre-main-sequence contraction at the Pleiades age. Low mass EBs are rare, especially in the pre-main-sequence phase, and thus these systems are valuable for constraining theoretical stellar evolution models. One of the three new EBs is single-lined with a K-type primary (HII 2407). The second (HCG 76) comprises two nearly equal-mass 0.3 M⊙ stars, with masses and radii measured with precisions of better than 3% and 5%, respectively. The third (MHO 9) has an M-type primary with a secondary that is possibly quite close to the hydrogen-burning limit, but needs additional follow-up observations to better constrain its parameters. We use the precise parameters of HCG 76 to test the predictions of stellar evolution models, and to derive an independent distance to the Pleiades of 132±5 pc. Finally, we present tentative evidence for differential rotation in the primary component of the newly discovered Pleiades EB HII 2407, and we also characterize a newly discovered transiting Neptune-sized planet orbiting an M-dwarf in the Hyades.

Spectral Confirmation of New Galactic LBV and WN Stars Associated With Mid-IR Nebulae

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stringfellow, Guy; Gvaramadze, Vasilii V.

2014-08-01

Luminous Blue Variable (LBV) stars represent an extremely rare class and short-lived phase in the lives of very luminous massive stars with high mass loss rates. Extragalactic LBVs are responsible for producing false supernovae (SN), the SN Impostors, and have been directly linked with the progenitors of actual SN, indicating the LBV phase can be a final endpoint for massive star evolution. Yet only a few confirmed LBVs have been identified in the Galaxy. Their stellar evolution is poorly constrained by observations, and the physical reason for their unstable nature, both in terms of moderate spectral and photometric variability of a few magnitudes and the giant eruptions a la η Car that rival SN explosions, remains a mystery. Newly discovered mid-IR shells act as signposts, pointing to the central massive stars (LBV and Wolf-Rayet [WR] stars) that produced them. We have undertaken a spectroscopic survey of possible progenitor stars within these shells and are discovering that many are LBVs and WN-type WR transitional stars. We propose to extend this IR spectral survey to the south to search for new progenitor stars associated with dozens of newly identified shells. This survey should result in a substantial increase of new WRs and candidate LBVs for continued future study. Spectral analysis will yield new insights into the winds and physical properties of these rare and important objects, and lead to a better understanding of the physics driving giant eruptions.

The response of Bacillus subtilis to simulated Martian conditions and to the space environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rettberg, P.; Rabbow, E.; Panitz, C.; Horneck, G.; Reitz, G.

The early histories of Mars and Earth show similarities during the period when life emerged on Earth Thus a comparable early biological evolution might have taken place also on Mars Several ongoing international space missions are especially designed to search for past or present life on Mars In order to develop adequate instruments and methods for in situ life detection analysis and to avoid the contamination of Mars by terrestrial life forms introduced to it s surface unintentionally it is necessary to understand the potential and limits of life on Earth The determination of the survival of microorganisms under the physical and chemical extremes of Mars will provide detailed insights into the potential for contamination that will allow the development and improvement of planetary protection measures Our knowledge about the occurrence of life especially microbial life on Earth has increased enormously in the last decades Archaea bacteria and protista have been found living in many newly discovered extremely hostile habitats which were regarded up to now as too harsh to harbor life Whereas many newly discovered extremophile species are specialized to cope with one extreme environmental parameter like high or low temperature high or low pH high salt concentration desiccation high flux of ionizing or non-ionizing radiation there are also long-known dormant stages of certain bacteria such as the Bacillus endospores that are capable to withstand most of the environmental parameters on the surface of Mars like low

Spin Funneling for Enhanced Spin Injection into Ferromagnets

PubMed Central

Sayed, Shehrin; Diep, Vinh Q.; Camsari, Kerem Yunus; Datta, Supriyo

2016-01-01

It is well-established that high spin-orbit coupling (SOC) materials convert a charge current density into a spin current density which can be used to switch a magnet efficiently and there is increasing interest in identifying materials with large spin Hall angle for lower switching current. Using experimentally benchmarked models, we show that composite structures can be designed using existing spin Hall materials such that the effective spin Hall angle is larger by an order of magnitude. The basic idea is to funnel spins from a large area of spin Hall material into a small area of ferromagnet using a normal metal with large spin diffusion length and low resistivity like Cu or Al. We show that this approach is increasingly effective as magnets get smaller. We avoid unwanted charge current shunting by the low resistive NM layer utilizing the newly discovered phenomenon of pure spin conduction in ferromagnetic insulators via magnon diffusion. We provide a spin circuit model for magnon diffusion in FMI that is benchmarked against recent experiments and theory. PMID:27374496

Spin Funneling for Enhanced Spin Injection into Ferromagnets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sayed, Shehrin; Diep, Vinh Q.; Camsari, Kerem Yunus; Datta, Supriyo

2016-07-01

It is well-established that high spin-orbit coupling (SOC) materials convert a charge current density into a spin current density which can be used to switch a magnet efficiently and there is increasing interest in identifying materials with large spin Hall angle for lower switching current. Using experimentally benchmarked models, we show that composite structures can be designed using existing spin Hall materials such that the effective spin Hall angle is larger by an order of magnitude. The basic idea is to funnel spins from a large area of spin Hall material into a small area of ferromagnet using a normal metal with large spin diffusion length and low resistivity like Cu or Al. We show that this approach is increasingly effective as magnets get smaller. We avoid unwanted charge current shunting by the low resistive NM layer utilizing the newly discovered phenomenon of pure spin conduction in ferromagnetic insulators via magnon diffusion. We provide a spin circuit model for magnon diffusion in FMI that is benchmarked against recent experiments and theory.

Minireview: Challenges and Opportunities in Development of PPAR Agonists

PubMed Central

Bortolini, Michele; Tadayyon, Moh; Bopst, Martin

2014-01-01

The clinical impact of the fibrate and thiazolidinedione drugs on dyslipidemia and diabetes is driven mainly through activation of two transcription factors, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPAR)-α and PPAR-γ. However, substantial differences exist in the therapeutic and side-effect profiles of specific drugs. This has been attributed primarily to the complexity of drug-target complexes that involve many coregulatory proteins in the context of specific target gene promoters. Recent data have revealed that some PPAR ligands interact with other non-PPAR targets. Here we review concepts used to develop new agents that preferentially modulate transcriptional complex assembly, target more than one PPAR receptor simultaneously, or act as partial agonists. We highlight newly described on-target mechanisms of PPAR regulation including phosphorylation and nongenomic regulation. We briefly describe the recently discovered non-PPAR protein targets of thiazolidinediones, mitoNEET, and mTOT. Finally, we summarize the contributions of on- and off-target actions to select therapeutic and side effects of PPAR ligands including insulin sensitivity, cardiovascular actions, inflammation, and carcinogenicity. PMID:25148456

Magnetic switching of ferroelectric domains at room temperature in multiferroic PZTFT

PubMed Central

Evans, D.M.; Schilling, A.; Kumar, Ashok; Sanchez, D.; Ortega, N.; Arredondo, M.; Katiyar, R.S.; Gregg, J.M.; Scott, J.F.

2013-01-01

Single-phase magnetoelectric multiferroics are ferroelectric materials that display some form of magnetism. In addition, magnetic and ferroelectric order parameters are not independent of one another. Thus, the application of either an electric or magnetic field simultaneously alters both the electrical dipole configuration and the magnetic state of the material. The technological possibilities that could arise from magnetoelectric multiferroics are considerable and a range of functional devices has already been envisioned. Realising these devices, however, requires coupling effects to be significant and to occur at room temperature. Although such characteristics can be created in piezoelectric-magnetostrictive composites, to date they have only been weakly evident in single-phase multiferroics. Here in a newly discovered room temperature multiferroic, we demonstrate significant room temperature coupling by monitoring changes in ferroelectric domain patterns induced by magnetic fields. An order of magnitude estimate of the effective coupling coefficient suggests a value of ~1 × 10−7 sm−1. PMID:23443562

The High Time Resolution Universe Pulsar Survey - XII. Galactic plane acceleration search and the discovery of 60 pulsars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ng, C.; Champion, D. J.; Bailes, M.; Barr, E. D.; Bates, S. D.; Bhat, N. D. R.; Burgay, M.; Burke-Spolaor, S.; Flynn, C. M. L.; Jameson, A.; Johnston, S.; Keith, M. J.; Kramer, M.; Levin, L.; Petroff, E.; Possenti, A.; Stappers, B. W.; van Straten, W.; Tiburzi, C.; Eatough, R. P.; Lyne, A. G.

2015-07-01

We present initial results from the low-latitude Galactic plane region of the High Time Resolution Universe pulsar survey conducted at the Parkes 64-m radio telescope. We discuss the computational challenges arising from the processing of the terabyte-sized survey data. Two new radio interference mitigation techniques are introduced, as well as a partially coherent segmented acceleration search algorithm which aims to increase our chances of discovering highly relativistic short-orbit binary systems, covering a parameter space including potential pulsar-black hole binaries. We show that under a constant acceleration approximation, a ratio of data length over orbital period of ≈0.1 results in the highest effectiveness for this search algorithm. From the 50 per cent of data processed thus far, we have redetected 435 previously known pulsars and discovered a further 60 pulsars, two of which are fast-spinning pulsars with periods less than 30 ms. PSR J1101-6424 is a millisecond pulsar whose heavy white dwarf (WD) companion and short spin period of 5.1 ms indicate a rare example of full-recycling via Case A Roche lobe overflow. PSR J1757-27 appears to be an isolated recycled pulsar with a relatively long spin period of 17 ms. In addition, PSR J1244-6359 is a mildly recycled binary system with a heavy WD companion, PSR J1755-25 has a significant orbital eccentricity of 0.09 and PSR J1759-24 is likely to be a long-orbit eclipsing binary with orbital period of the order of tens of years. Comparison of our newly discovered pulsar sample to the known population suggests that they belong to an older population. Furthermore, we demonstrate that our current pulsar detection yield is as expected from population synthesis.

Tight-binding calculation of the magnetic moment of CrAs under pressure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Autieri, Carmine; Cuono, Giuseppe; Forte, Filomena; Noce, Canio

2018-03-01

We analyze the evolution of the local magnetic moment of the newly discovered pressure-induced superconductor CrAs, as a function of the applied pressure. Our theoretical method is based on a combination of the tight-binding approximation and the Löwdin down-folding procedure, which enables us to derive a low-energy effective Hamiltonian projected onto the Cr-subsector. We set up our calculations by considering several sets of ab initio derived hopping parameters, corresponding to different volumes of the unit cell, and use them to obtain the simulated pressure-dependence of the Cr magnetic moment, which is evaluated within a mean-field treatment of the Coulomb repulsion between the electrons at the Cr sites. Our calculations show good agreement with available experimental data, both for the normal phase measured 1.7 µB for Cr magnetic moment, and concerning the observed reduction of its amplitude for values that exceed the characteristic critical pressure.

Rotating flow of Ag-CuO/H2O hybrid nanofluid with radiation and partial slip boundary effects.

PubMed

Hayat, Tanzila; Nadeem, S; Khan, A U

2018-06-14

The main object of the present paper is to examine and compare the improvement of flow and heat transfer characteristics between a rotating nanofluid and a newly discovered hybrid nanofluid in the presence of velocity slip and thermal slip. The influence of thermal radiation is also included in the present study. The system after applying the similarity transformations is solved numerically by using the bvp-4c scheme. Additionally, numerical calculations for the coefficient of skin friction and local Nusselt number are introduced and perused for germane parameters. The comparison between water, nanofluid and hybrid nanofluid on velocity and temperature is also visualized. It is observed that the velocity and temperature distributions are decreasing functions of the slip parameter. Temperature is boosted by thermal radiation and rotation. It is found that the heat transfer rate of the hybrid nanofluid is higher as compared to the traditional nanofluid.

Local expansion flows of galaxies: quantifying acceleration effect of dark energy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chernin, A. D.; Teerikorpi, P.

2013-08-01

The nearest expansion flow of galaxies observed around the Local group is studied as an archetypical example of the newly discovered local expansion flows around groups and clusters of galaxies in the nearby Universe. The flow is accelerating due to the antigravity produced by the universal dark energy background. We introduce a new acceleration measure of the flow which is the dimensionless ``acceleration parameter" Q (x) = x - x-2 depending on the normalized distance x only. The parameter is zero at the zero-gravity distance x = 1, and Q(x) ∝ x, when x ≫ 1. At the distance x = 3, the parameter Q = 2.9. Since the expansion flows have a self-similar structure in normalized variables, we expect that the result is valid as well for all the other expansion flows around groups and clusters of galaxies on the spatial scales from ˜ 1 to ˜ 10 Mpc everywhere in the Universe.

A technetium-labeled monoclonal antibody for imaging metastatic melanoma

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

Frytak, S.; Creagan, E.T.; Brown, M.L.

1991-04-01

Twenty patients with histologically proven metastatic melanoma were scanned with a 99mtechnetium ({sup 99}mTc)-labeled melanoma antibody to determine the detection rate of known malignant lesions and to evaluate the antibody's ability to discover occult metastases. Isotope localization in different organs was as follows: liver 100%, bone 100%, subcutaneous lesions 80%, lymph nodes 54%, and lung 33%. Four unsuspected bone lesions and 16 occult subcutaneous lesions were found. False positive lesions were noted in two instances--one benign thyroid adenoma, and one arthritic bone lesion. One patient developed an atypical serum sickness reaction with a rash and arthralgias that responded rapidly tomore » treatment. The {sup 99}mTc antimelanoma antibody is a safe and effective method to detect metastatic melanoma. It has potential use for screening newly diagnosed melanomas that carry an increased risk of recurrence.« less

Deoxysarpagine hydroxylase--a novel enzyme closing a short side pathway of alkaloid biosynthesis in Rauvolfia.

PubMed

Yu, Bingwu; Ruppert, Martin; Stöckigt, Joachim

2002-08-01

Microsomal preparations from cell suspension cultures of the Indian plant Rauvolfia serpentina catalyze the hydroxylation of deoxysarpagine under formation of sarpagine. The newly discovered enzyme is dependent on NADPH and oxygen. It can be inhibited by typical cytochrome P450 inhibitors such as cytochrome c, ketoconazole, metyrapone, tetcyclacis and carbon monoxide. The CO-effect is reversible with light (450 nm). The data indicate that deoxysarpagine hydroxylase is a novel cytochrome P450-dependent monooxygenase. A pH optimum of 8.0 and a temperature optimum of 35 degrees C were determined. K(m) values were 25 microM for NADPH and 7.4 microM for deoxysarpagine. Deoxysarpagine hydroxylase activity was stable in presence of 20% sucrose at -25 degrees C for >3 months. The analysis of presence of the hydroxylase in nine cell cultures of seven different families indicates a very limited taxonomic distribution of this enzyme.

Control of magnetohydrodynamic stability by phase space engineering of energetic ions in tokamak plasmas.

PubMed

Graves, J P; Chapman, I T; Coda, S; Lennholm, M; Albergante, M; Jucker, M

2012-01-10

Virtually collisionless magnetic mirror-trapped energetic ion populations often partially stabilize internally driven magnetohydrodynamic disturbances in the magnetosphere and in toroidal laboratory plasma devices such as the tokamak. This results in less frequent but dangerously enlarged plasma reorganization. Unique to the toroidal magnetic configuration are confined 'circulating' energetic particles that are not mirror trapped. Here we show that a newly discovered effect from hybrid kinetic-magnetohydrodynamic theory has been exploited in sophisticated phase space engineering techniques for controlling stability in the tokamak. These theoretical predictions have been confirmed, and the technique successfully applied in the Joint European Torus. Manipulation of auxiliary ion heating systems can create an asymmetry in the distribution of energetic circulating ions in the velocity orientated along magnetic field lines. We show the first experiments in which large sawtooth collapses have been controlled by this technique, and neoclassical tearing modes avoided, in high-performance reactor-relevant plasmas.

Role of valence changes and nanoscale atomic displacements in BiS2-based superconductors.

PubMed

Cheng, Jie; Zhai, Huifei; Wang, Yu; Xu, Wei; Liu, Shengli; Cao, Guanghan

2016-11-22

Superconductivity within layered crystal structures has attracted sustained interest among condensed matter community, primarily due to their exotic superconducting properties. EuBiS 2 F is a newly discovered member in the BiS 2 -based superconducting family, which shows superconductivity at 0.3 K without extrinsic doping. With 50 at.% Ce substitution for Eu, superconductivity is enhanced with Tc increased up to 2.2 K. However, the mechanisms for the T c enhancement have not yet been elucidated. In this study, the Ce-doping effect on the self-electron-doped superconductor EuBiS 2 F was investigated by X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). We have established a relationship between Ce-doping and the T c enhancement in terms of Eu valence changes and nanoscale atomic displacements. The new finding sheds light on the interplay among superconductivity, charge and local structure in BiS 2 -based superconductors.

Inorganic fullerene-like structures and nanotubes of MX{sub 2} (M = W, Mo; X = S, Se)

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

Tenne, R.; Homyonfer, M.; Frey, G.L.

Extensive investigation of the newly discovered inorganic fullerene-like (IF-MX{sub 2}) and nanotubes of metal dichalcogenides, is reported. Our findings suggest that the IF-MX{sub 2} material constitute a new phase between the low temperature amorphous precursor and the bulk 2H polymorph, which is obtained upon annealing above 950{degrees}C. The energy bandgap of the NP, was found to be somewhat smaller than that of the bulk 2H phase, and possible explanations for that phenomenon are forwarded. New synthetic routes allow for the production of a few grams of IF-WS{sub 2} (macrosynthesis), on the one hand, and a single IF in a predeterminedmore » position (nanosynthesis), on the other hand. Synthesis of new IF-MX{sub 2} from different layered compounds, will be reported. Measurements of the optical properties; photocatalytic and photoelectrochemical effects of these materials, will be reported.« less

Screening and characterization of novel bacteriocins from lactic acid bacteria.

PubMed

Zendo, Takeshi

2013-01-01

Bacteriocins produced by lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are expected to be safe antimicrobial agents. While the best studied LAB bacteriocin, nisin A, is widely utilized as a food preservative, various novel ones are required to control undesirable bacteria more effectively. To discover novel bacteriocins at the early step of the screening process, we developed a rapid screening system that evaluates bacteriocins produced by newly isolated LAB based on their antibacterial spectra and molecular masses. By means of this system, various novel bacteriocins were identified, including a nisin variant, nisin Q, a two-peptide bacteriocin, lactococcin Q, a leaderless bacteriocin, lacticin Q, and a circular bacteriocin, lactocyclicin Q. Moreover, some LAB isolates were found to produce multiple bacteriocins. They were characterized as to their structures, mechanisms of action, and biosynthetic mechanisms. Novel LAB bacteriocins and their biosynthetic mechanisms are expected for applications such as food preservation and peptide engineering.

Local spin-density-wave order inside vortex cores in multiband superconductors

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

Mishra, Vivek; Koshelev, Alexei E.

Coexistence of antiferromagnetic order with superconductivity in many families of newly discovered iron-based superconductors has renewed interest to this old problem. Due to competition between the two types of order, one can expect appearance of the antiferromagnetism inside the cores of the vortices generated by the external magnetic field. The structure of a vortex in type II superconductors holds significant importance from the theoretical and the application points of view. In this paper, we consider the internal vortex structure in a two-band s± superconductor near a spin-density-wave instability. We treat the problem in a completely self-consistent manner within the quasiclassicalmore » Eilenberger formalism. We study the structure of the s± superconducting order and magnetic field-induced spin-density-wave order near an isolated vortex. Finally, we examine the effect of this spin-density-wave state inside the vortex cores on the local density of states.« less

Local spin-density-wave order inside vortex cores in multiband superconductors

DOE PAGES

Mishra, Vivek; Koshelev, Alexei E.

2015-08-13

Coexistence of antiferromagnetic order with superconductivity in many families of newly discovered iron-based superconductors has renewed interest to this old problem. Due to competition between the two types of order, one can expect appearance of the antiferromagnetism inside the cores of the vortices generated by the external magnetic field. The structure of a vortex in type II superconductors holds significant importance from the theoretical and the application points of view. In this paper, we consider the internal vortex structure in a two-band s± superconductor near a spin-density-wave instability. We treat the problem in a completely self-consistent manner within the quasiclassicalmore » Eilenberger formalism. We study the structure of the s± superconducting order and magnetic field-induced spin-density-wave order near an isolated vortex. Finally, we examine the effect of this spin-density-wave state inside the vortex cores on the local density of states.« less

Plasma irregularities caused by cycloid bunching of the CRRES G-2 barium release

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bernhardt, P. A.; Huba, J. D.; Pongratz, M. B.; Simons, D. J.; Wolcott, J. H.

1993-01-01

The Combined Release and Radiation Effects Satellite (CRRES) spacecraft carried a number of barium thermite canisters for release into the upper atmosphere. The barium release labeled G-2 showed evidence of curved irregularities not aligned with the ambient magnetic field B. The newly discovered curved structures can be explained by a process called cycloid bunching. Cycloid bunching occurs when plasma is created by photoionization of a neutral cloud injected at high velocity perpendicular to B. If the injection velocity is much larger than the expansion speed of the cloud, the ion trail will form a cycloid that has irregularities spaced by the product of the perpendicular injection speed and the ion gyroperiod, Images of the solar-illuminated barium ions are compared with the results of a three-dimensional kinetic simulation. Cycloid bunching is shown to be responsible for the rapid generation of both curved and field-aligned irregularities in the CRRES G-2 experiment.

Both experimental hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism increase cardiac irisin levels in rats.

PubMed

Atici, E; Menevse, E; Baltaci, A K; Mogulkoc, R

2018-01-01

Irisin is a newly discovered myokine and adipokine that increases total body energy expenditure. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of experimental hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism on the levels of irisin in heart tissue in rats. The study was performed on the 40 male Sprague-Dawley rats. Experimental groups were designed as; Control, Hypothyroidism, Hypothyroidism+L-Thyroxine, Hyperthyroidism and Hyperthyroidism + PTU. Following 3 weeks experimental period, irisin levels were determined in heart tissues. Hypothyroidism group values of irisin were higher than in the control group, but lower than in the hyperthyroidism group. The hyperthyroidism group had the highest levels of cardiac irisin. The results of the study showed that the experimental hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism increased the heart irisin levels, but the increase in the hyperthyroidism group was much higher than in the hypothyroidism group. However, treatment of hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism corrected cardiac irisin levels (Fig. 1, Ref. 28).

"Neither cricketers nor ladies": towards a history of women and cricket in South Africa, 1860s-2000s.

PubMed

Odendaal, André

2011-01-01

There is a dearth of research and writing on women's cricket in South Africa. In an attempt to enhance understanding of the nature and effects of women's involvement in the game of cricket over the past 200 years, this essay offers a chronological account of the sport and the role women played in it. It draws on readings from the international scholarship on women's early involvement in sport, the fragments that have existed to date about women's cricket in South Africa and some newly discovered primary material from the 1950s onwards. The essay aims to provide a historical context and open a window for historians and social analysts into an area few knew existed before. There is now a distinctive history and subculture of cricket with multiple social dimensions for scholars to explore; here I offer some preliminary insights.

Effects of La-doped BaSnO3epitaxial electrode on the ferroelectric properties of BaTiO3

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Hahoon; Kim, Young Mo; Kim, Youjung; Shin, Juyeon; Char, Kookrin

In order to integrate the newly discovered high-mobility perovskite semiconductor BaSnO3 with a ferroelectric perovskite, we have grown epitaxial ferroelectric BaTiO3 (BTO) on top of the 4 % La-doped BaSnO3 (BLSO). X-ray diffraction measurement suggests that the BTO film on top of BLSO electrode is tensilely strained due to the larger lattice constant of BLSO. An all epitaxial sandwich structure of BLSO/BTO/BLSO was fabricated in order to measure the ferroelectric properties of the BTO under tensile strain. The polarization-electric field (P-E) hysteresis curve will be discussed from the viewpoint of the tensile strain. In addition, the breakdown field will be measured to evaluate the potential of BTO for a gate oxide on top of BLSO. Samsung science and technology foundation.

Molecular Ecology of Hypersaline Microbial Mats: Current Insights and New Directions.

PubMed

Wong, Hon Lun; Ahmed-Cox, Aria; Burns, Brendan Paul

2016-01-05

Microbial mats are unique geobiological ecosystems that form as a result of complex communities of microorganisms interacting with each other and their physical environment. Both the microorganisms present and the network of metabolic interactions govern ecosystem function therein. These systems are often found in a range of extreme environments, and those found in elevated salinity have been particularly well studied. The purpose of this review is to briefly describe the molecular ecology of select model hypersaline mat systems (Guerrero Negro, Shark Bay, S'Avall, and Kiritimati Atoll), and any potentially modulating effects caused by salinity to community structure. In addition, we discuss several emerging issues in the field (linking function to newly discovered phyla and microbial dark matter), which illustrate the changing paradigm that is seen as technology has rapidly advanced in the study of these extreme and evolutionally significant ecosystems.

Observation of the fractional quantum Hall effect in graphene.

PubMed

Bolotin, Kirill I; Ghahari, Fereshte; Shulman, Michael D; Stormer, Horst L; Kim, Philip

2009-11-12

When electrons are confined in two dimensions and subject to strong magnetic fields, the Coulomb interactions between them can become very strong, leading to the formation of correlated states of matter, such as the fractional quantum Hall liquid. In this strong quantum regime, electrons and magnetic flux quanta bind to form complex composite quasiparticles with fractional electronic charge; these are manifest in transport measurements of the Hall conductivity as rational fractions of the elementary conductance quantum. The experimental discovery of an anomalous integer quantum Hall effect in graphene has enabled the study of a correlated two-dimensional electronic system, in which the interacting electrons behave like massless chiral fermions. However, owing to the prevailing disorder, graphene has so far exhibited only weak signatures of correlated electron phenomena, despite intense experimental and theoretical efforts. Here we report the observation of the fractional quantum Hall effect in ultraclean, suspended graphene. In addition, we show that at low carrier density graphene becomes an insulator with a magnetic-field-tunable energy gap. These newly discovered quantum states offer the opportunity to study correlated Dirac fermions in graphene in the presence of large magnetic fields.

The Endocannabinoid System and Plant-Derived Cannabinoids in Diabetes and Diabetic Complications

PubMed Central

Horváth, Béla; Mukhopadhyay, Partha; Haskó, György; Pacher, Pál

2012-01-01

Oxidative stress and inflammation play critical roles in the development of diabetes and its complications. Recent studies provided compelling evidence that the newly discovered lipid signaling system (ie, the endocannabinoid system) may significantly influence reactive oxygen species production, inflammation, and subsequent tissue injury, in addition to its well-known metabolic effects and functions. The modulation of the activity of this system holds tremendous therapeutic potential in a wide range of diseases, ranging from cancer, pain, neurodegenerative, and cardiovascular diseases to obesity and metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and diabetic complications. This review focuses on the role of the endocannabinoid system in primary diabetes and its effects on various diabetic complications, such as diabetic cardiovascular dysfunction, nephropathy, retinopathy, and neuropathy, particularly highlighting the mechanisms beyond the metabolic consequences of the activation of the endocannabinoid system. The therapeutic potential of targeting the endocannabinoid system and certain plant-derived cannabinoids, such as cannabidiol and Δ9-tetrahydrocannabivarin, which are devoid of psychotropic effects and possess potent anti-inflammatory and/or antioxidant properties, in diabetes and diabetic complications is also discussed. PMID:22155112

Proceedings of the US Army Institute of Surgical Research Anniversary Symposium (40th), Held in San Antonio, Texas on October 26-27, 1987

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-10-01

Alteration of Onsonic Activity after Burn Injury 126 By: J. Wesley Alexander, MD, ScD Inflammatory Mediators 131 By: Roger W. Yurt, MD Burn-Related...extension of its World War II activities , defining the role of the then newly discovered antibiotic, penicillin, in the treatment of war wounds. Driven...of burn injury and resultant improvement in burn care. The following review consists of a decennial update of the Institute’s activities with emphasis

An Updated Review of Tyrosinase Inhibitors

PubMed Central

Chang, Te-Sheng

2009-01-01

Tyrosinase is a multifunctional, glycosylated, and copper-containing oxidase, which catalyzes the first two steps in mammalian melanogenesis and is responsible for enzymatic browning reactions in damaged fruits during post-harvest handling and processing. Neither hyperpigmentation in human skin nor enzymatic browning in fruits are desirable. These phenomena have encouraged researchers to seek new potent tyrosinase inhibitors for use in foods and cosmetics. This article surveys tyrosinase inhibitors newly discovered from natural and synthetic sources. The inhibitory strength is compared with that of a standard inhibitor, kojic acid, and their inhibitory mechanisms are discussed. PMID:19582213

Newly diagnosed HIV-1 infections in pregnancy: evidences from a cohort study in south-eastern Italy.

PubMed

Favia, Anna; Fiore, Josè Ramon; Pastore, Giuseppe

2004-01-01

The authors report and discuss the characteristics of 22 women who discovered their HIV seropositivity while pregnant. Most of the women had never been tested for HIV and this occurred not only for 'not at risk' women but also for sexual partners of HIV-infected men. Several infections were diagnosed late in pregnancy when most women were already immunodeficient. An implementation of HIV prenatal testing as an early standard clinical practice, should be promoted in all women, regardless of the presence of risk factors.

Andromeda and its Satellites: A Kinematic Perspective

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Collins, M. L. M.; Rich, R. M.; Chapman, S. C.

2012-08-01

Using spectroscopic data taken with Keck II DEIMOS by the Z-PAndAS team in the Andromeda-Triangulum region, I present a comparison of the disc and satellite systems of Andromeda with those of our own Galaxy. I discuss the observed discrepancies between the masses and scale radii of Andromeda dwarf spheroidal galaxies of a given luminosity with those of the Milky Way. I also present an analysis of the newly discovered M31 thick disc, which is measured to be hotter, more extended and thicker than that seen in the Milky Way.

[Autoantibody-associated autoimmune encephalitis and cerebellitis : Clinical presentation, diagnostic work-up and treatment].

PubMed

Lewerenz, J; Jarius, S; Wildemann, B; Wandinger, K-P; Leypoldt, F

2016-12-01

There is no other field of neurology where clinically relevant serological biomarkers have witnessed a surge in importance over the past decade resembling that in autoimmune encephalitis and cerebellitis. A multitude of newly discovered neuronal autoantibodies facilitate early diagnosis, estimation of prognosis, and therapeutic decision-making. However, this has led to growing uncertainty with regard to meaningful patient selection, the appropriate extent of testing, and management of seronegative cases. This review summarizes the essential aspects of the clinical presentation, diagnostic work-up, pathophysiology, and treatment of autoimmune encephalitis and cerebellitis.

'Hot Topics' in Astrophysics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Maran, Stephen P.

2000-01-01

Three current topics in astrophysics are described here on the occasion of the joint meeting of the American Association of Physics Teachers and the American Astronomical Society (Jan. 7-11, 2001, San Diego, Calif.). Many equally exciting topics--ranging from the dozens of newly discovered planets of sunlike stars to evidence suggesting that the expansion of the universe is accelerating--could have been chosen. The topics discussed are: (1) the habitability of Mars, (2) black holes, galaxy bulges, and the X-ray background, and (3) the greatest explosions since the Big Bang.

The first retrograde Trojan asteroid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wiegert, Paul; Connors, Martin; Veillet, Christian

2018-04-01

There are about six thousand asteroids which share Jupiter's orbit around the Sun. Called the 'Trojan asteroids', they co-exist easily with this giant planet because they travel in the same direction as it ('direct' or 'prograde' motion), and remain roughly 60 degrees ahead of or behind it in its orbit. Newly discovered asteroid 2015 BZ509 is on a retrograde orbit, but is nonetheless in a state dynamically analogous to that of the prograde Trojans. The discovery circumstances and the nature of the motion of this curious asteroid -the first of its kind- will be outlined.

Pursuing a historical meteor shower

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Watanabe, Jun-Ichi; Sato, Mikiya; Kasuga, Toshihiro

2006-11-01

The strong outburst of the Phoenicids was witnessed by people in a Japanese expedition ship, Soya, in 1956. After that, this meteor shower has never been observed at this activity level. Although its parent comet has not been strictly identified, the possible candidate was the comet D/1819W1 (Blanpain) which appeared only once in 1819. A newly discovered asteroid 2003WY25 becomes a clue to the mystery of this meteor shower. We introduce our result on the investigation of this meteor shower on the basis of the dust trail theory.

The emerging impact of genomics on the development of biological weapons. Threats and benefits posed by engineered extremophiles.

PubMed

Daly, M J

2001-09-01

During the past decades, representatives of Archaea, Bacteria, and Protista have been found thriving in many newly discovered extremely hostile habitats, which hitherto were regarded as too harsh to harbor life. To illustrate how an extremophile could be targeted for development as a biowarfare agent, an example is presented describing current advances in engineering Deinococcus radiodurans. Using a generally applicable combination of conventional genetic engineering and genomic informatics, this extremely radiation-resistant and environmentally robust bacterium is being developed for biotechnology.

Moderate resolution spectrophotometry of high redshift quasars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schneider, Donald P.; Schmidt, Maarten; Gunn, James E.

1991-01-01

A uniform set of photometry and high signal-to-noise moderate resolution spectroscopy of 33 quasars with redshifts larger than 3.1 is presented. The sample consists of 17 newly discovered quasars (two with redshifts in excess of 4.4) and 16 sources drawn from the literature. The objects in this sample have r magnitudes between 17.4 and 21.4; their luminosities range from -28.8 to -24.9. Three of the 33 objects are broad absorption line quasars. A number of possible high redshift damped Ly-alpha systems were found.

Identification of viral and non-viral reverse transcribing elements in pineapple (Ananas comosus), including members of two new badnavirus species.

PubMed

Gambley, C F; Geering, A D W; Steele, V; Thomas, J E

2008-01-01

A previously published partial sequence of pineapple bacilliform virus was shown to be from a retrotransposon (family Metaviridae) and not from a badnavirus as previously thought. Two newly discovered sequence groups isolated from pineapple were associated with bacilliform virions and were transmitted by mealybugs. Phylogenetic analyses indicated that they were members of new badnavirus species. A third caulimovirid sequence was also amplified from pineapple, but available evidence suggests that this DNA is not encapsidated, but more likely derived from an endogenous virus.

Impaired pancreatic polypeptide release in chronic pancreatitis with steatorrhoea.

PubMed

Adrian, T E; Besterman, H S; Mallinson, C N; Garalotis, C; Bloom, S R

1979-02-01

Pancreatic polypeptide (PP) is a newly discovered hormonal peptide localised in a distinct endocrine cell type in the pancreas. PP circulates in plasma and in normal subjects levels rise substantially on the ingestion of food (mean rise 138 pmol/l). In 10 patients with chronic pancreatitis with exocrine deficiency the PP response to a test breakfast was greatly reduced (mean rise 20 pmol/l, P less than 0.001). PP response to the meal was normal in 10 patients with active coeliac disease and 12 patients with acute tropical sprue with steatorrhoea.

Impaired pancreatic polypeptide release in chronic pancreatitis with steatorrhoea.

PubMed Central

Adrian, T E; Besterman, H S; Mallinson, C N; Garalotis, C; Bloom, S R

1979-01-01

Pancreatic polypeptide (PP) is a newly discovered hormonal peptide localised in a distinct endocrine cell type in the pancreas. PP circulates in plasma and in normal subjects levels rise substantially on the ingestion of food (mean rise 138 pmol/l). In 10 patients with chronic pancreatitis with exocrine deficiency the PP response to a test breakfast was greatly reduced (mean rise 20 pmol/l, P less than 0.001). PP response to the meal was normal in 10 patients with active coeliac disease and 12 patients with acute tropical sprue with steatorrhoea. PMID:428832

High ethanol producing derivatives of Thermoanaerobacter ethanolicus

DOEpatents

Ljungdahl, L.G.; Carriera, L.H.

1983-05-24

Derivatives of the newly discovered microorganism Thermoanaerobacter ethanolicus which under anaerobic and thermophilic conditions continuously ferment substrates such as starch, cellobiose, glucose, xylose and other sugars to produce recoverable amounts of ethanol solving the problem of fermentations yielding low concentrations of ethanol using the parent strain of the microorganism Thermoanaerobacter ethanolicus are disclosed. These new derivatives are ethanol tolerant up to 10% (v/v) ethanol during fermentation. The process includes the use of an aqueous fermentation medium, containing the substrate at a substrate concentration greater than 1% (w/v).

High ethanol producing derivatives of Thermoanaerobacter ethanolicus

DOEpatents

Ljungdahl, Lars G.; Carriera, Laura H.

1983-01-01

Derivatives of the newly discovered microorganism Thermoanaerobacter ethanolicus which under anaerobic and thermophilic conditions continuously ferment substrates such as starch, cellobiose, glucose, xylose and other sugars to produce recoverable amounts of ethanol solving the problem of fermentations yielding low concentrations of ethanol using the parent strain of the microorganism Thermoanaerobacter ethanolicus are disclosed. These new derivatives are ethanol tolerant up to 10% (v/v) ethanol during fermentation. The process includes the use of an aqueous fermentation medium, containing the substrate at a substrate concentration greater than 1% (w/v).

Geologic Map and Digital Data Base of the Almo Quadrangle and City of Rocks National Reserve, Cassia County, Idaho

USGS Publications Warehouse

Miller, David M.; Armstrong, Richard L.; Bedford, David R.; Davis, Marsha

2008-01-01

This geologic map describes the geology of the City of Rocks National Reserve and environs, located in the Albion Mountains of south-central Idaho. The most prominent geologic features of the Reserve are the spectacular rock spires that attracted visitors, beginning with commentary in the journals of travelers to California during the Gold Rush of 1849. The tectonic history is outlined, and descriptions of landscape processes, a newly discovered Quaternary fault, and features of the pinnacles are presented.

The Role of Newly Discovered Exotoxin (S Toxin) in Pseudomonas aeruginosa Infections

DTIC Science & Technology

1979-08-01

sodium or potassium phosphate 6.0-8.0 N-2-hydroxyethylpiperazine-N’-2-ethanesulfonic acid (HEPES) 6.5-8.5 tris 7.0-9.5 sodium borate 7.5-9.5 sodium...was found to be variable with respect to whether sodium or potassium phosphate buffer was used. With sodium phosphate, virtually all the enzyme...activity bound was eluted between 20-100.2M phosphate at pH 6.8. With the potassium salt, elution occurs at 400-?00mM KP04. Since very little protein was

Footprint of Deepwater Horizon blowout impact to deep-water coral communities

PubMed Central

Fisher, Charles R.; Hsing, Pen-Yuan; Kaiser, Carl L.; Yoerger, Dana R.; Roberts, Harry H.; Shedd, William W.; Cordes, Erik E.; Shank, Timothy M.; Berlet, Samantha P.; Saunders, Miles G.; Larcom, Elizabeth A.; Brooks, James M.

2014-01-01

On April 20, 2010, the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) blowout occurred, releasing more oil than any accidental spill in history. Oil release continued for 87 d and much of the oil and gas remained in, or returned to, the deep sea. A coral community significantly impacted by the spill was discovered in late 2010 at 1,370 m depth. Here we describe the discovery of five previously unknown coral communities near the Macondo wellhead and show that at least two additional coral communities were impacted by the spill. Although the oil-containing flocullent material that was present on corals when the first impacted community was discovered was largely gone, a characteristic patchy covering of hydrozoans on dead portions of the skeleton allowed recognition of impacted colonies at the more recently discovered sites. One of these communities was 6 km south of the Macondo wellhead and over 90% of the corals present showed the characteristic signs of recent impact. The other community, 22 km southeast of the wellhead between 1,850 and 1,950 m depth, was more lightly impacted. However, the discovery of this site considerably extends the distance from Macondo and depth range of significant impact to benthic macrofaunal communities. We also show that most known deep-water coral communities in the Gulf of Mexico do not appear to have been acutely impacted by the spill, although two of the newly discovered communities near the wellhead apparently not impacted by the spill have been impacted by deep-sea fishing operations. PMID:25071200

Effects of psychological stress on male fertility.

PubMed

Nargund, Vinod H

2015-07-01

Psychological stress can be defined as any uncomfortable 'emotional experience' accompanied by predictable biochemical, physiological and behavioural changes or responses. Many clinical studies looking at the effects of psychological stress on male fertility have shown that stress is associated with reduced paternity and abnormal semen parameters. Enough scientific evidence exists to suggest that psychological stress could severely affect spermatogenesis, mainly as a result of varying testosterone secretion. The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis has a direct inhibitory action on the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis and Leydig cells in the testes. The newly discovered hormone, gonadotropin-inhibitory hormone (GnIH), also has an inhibitory effect on the HPG axis. Inhibition of the HPG axis results in a fall in testosterone levels, which causes changes in Sertoli cells and the blood-testis barrier, leading to the arrest of spermatogenesis. Germ cells also become vulnerable to gonadotoxins and oxidation. However, the extent and severity of the effects of psychological stress on human testes is difficult to study and data mostly come from animal models. Despite this limitation, stress as a causative factor in male infertility cannot be ignored and patients should be made aware of its effects on testicular function and fertility and helped to manage them.

Intensity enhancement and selective detection of proximate solvent molecules by molecular near-field effect in resonance hyper-Raman scattering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shimada, Rintaro; Kano, Hideaki; Hamaguchi, Hiro-o.

2008-07-01

A new molecular phenomenon associated with resonance hyper-Raman (HR) scattering in solution has been discovered. Resonance HR spectra of all-trans-β-carotene and all-trans-lycopene in various solvents exhibited several extra bands that were not assignable to the solute but were unequivocally assigned to the solvents. Neat solvents did not show detectable HR signals under the same experimental conditions. Similar experiments with all-trans-retinal did not exhibit such enhancement either. All-trans-β-carotene and all-trans-lycopene have thus been shown to induce enhanced HR scattering of solvent molecules through a novel molecular effect that is not associated with all-trans-retinal. We call this new effect the "molecular near-field effect." In order to explain this newly found effect, an extended vibronic theory of resonance HR scattering is developed where the vibronic interaction including the proximate solvent molecule (intermolecular vibronic coupling) is explicitly introduced in the solute hyperpolarizability tensor. The potential of "molecular near-field HR spectroscopy," which selectively detects molecules existing in the close vicinity of a HR probe in complex chemical or biological systems, is discussed.

Unconfirmed Near-Earth Objects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vereš, Peter; Payne, Matthew J.; Holman, Matthew J.; Farnocchia, Davide; Williams, Gareth V.; Keys, Sonia; Boardman, Ian

2018-07-01

We studied the Near-Earth Asteroid (NEA) candidates posted on the Minor Planet Center’s Near-Earth Object Confirmation Page (NEOCP) between years 2013 and 2016. Out of more than 17000 NEA candidates, while the majority became either new discoveries or were associated with previously known objects, about 11% were unable to be followed-up or confirmed. We further demonstrate that of the unconfirmed candidates, 926 ± 50 are likely to be NEAs, representing 18% of discovered NEAs in that period. Only 11% (∼93) of the unconfirmed NEA candidates were large (having absolute magnitude H < 22). To identify the reasons why these NEAs were not recovered, we analyzed those from the most prolific asteroid surveys: Pan-STARRS, the Catalina Sky Survey, the Dark Energy Survey, and the Space Surveillance Telescope. We examined the influence of plane-of-sky positions and rates of motion, brightnesses, submission delays, and computed absolute magnitudes, as well as correlations with the phase of the moon and seasonal effects. We find that delayed submission of newly discovered NEA candidate to the NEOCP drove a large fraction of the unconfirmed NEA candidates. A high rate of motion was another significant contributing factor. We suggest that prompt submission of suspected NEA discoveries and rapid response to fast-moving targets and targets with fast growing ephemeris uncertainty would allow better coordination among dedicated follow-up observers, decrease the number of unconfirmed NEA candidates, and increase the discovery rate of NEAs.

The Chemical Abundances of Stars in the Halo (CASH) Project. II. New Extremely Metal-poor Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krugler, Julie A.; Frebel, A.; Roederer, I. U.; Sneden, C.; Shetrone, M.; Beers, T.; Christlieb, N.

2011-01-01

We present new abundance results from the Chemical Abundances of Stars in the Halo (CASH) project. The 500 CASH spectra were observed using the Hobby-Eberly Telescope in "snapshot" mode and are analyzed using an automated stellar parameter and abundance pipeline called CASHCODE. For the 20 most metal-poor stars of the CASH sample we have obtained high resolution spectra using the Magellan Telescope in order to test the uncertainties and systematic errors associated with the snapshot quality (i.e., R 15,000 and S/N 65) HET spectra and to calibrate the newly developed CASHCODE by making a detailed comparison between the stellar parameters and abundances determined from the high resolution and snapshot spectra. We find that the CASHCODE stellar parameters (effective temperature, surface gravity, metallicity, and microturbulence) agree well with the results of the manual analysis of the high resolution spectra. We present the abundances of three newly discovered stars with [Fe/H] < -3.5. For the entire pilot sample, we find typical halo abundance ratios with alpha-enhancement and Fe-peak depletion and a range of n-capture elements. The full CASH sample will be used to derive statistically robust abundance trends and frequencies (e.g. carbon and n-capture), as well as placing constraints on nucleosynthetic processes that occurred in the early universe.

Role of VPO1, a newly identified heme-containing peroxidase, in ox-LDL induced endothelial cell apoptosis

PubMed Central

Bai, Yong-Ping; Hu, Chang-Ping; Yuan, Qiong; Peng, Jun; Shi, Rui-Zheng; Yang, Tian-Lun; Cao, Ze-Hong; Li, Yuan-Jian; Cheng, Guangjie; Zhang, Guo-Gang

2013-01-01

Myeloperoxidase (MPO) is an important enzyme involved in the genesis and development of atherosclerosis. Vascular peroxidase 1 (VPO1) is a newly discovered member of the peroxidase family that is mainly expressed in vascular endothelial cells and smooth muscle cells and has structural characteristics and biological activity similar to those of MPO. Our specific aims were to explore the effects of VPO1 on endothelial cell apoptosis induced by oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) and the underlying mechanisms. The results showed that ox-LDL induced endothelial cell apoptosis and the expression of VPO1 in endothelial cells in a concentration- and time-dependent manner concomitant with increased intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) and hypochlorous acid (HOCl) generation, and up-regulated protein expression of the NADPH oxidase gp91phox subunit and phosphorylation of p38 MAPK. All these effects of ox-LDL were inhibited by VPO1 gene silencing and NADPH oxidase gp91phox subunit gene silencing or by pretreatment with the NADPH oxidase inhibitor apocynin or diphenyliodonium. The p38 MAPK inhibitor SB203580 or the caspase-3 inhibitor DEVD-CHO significantly inhibited ox-LDL-induced endothelial cell apoptosis, but had no effect on intracellular ROS and HOCl generation or the expression of NADPH oxidase gp91phox subunit or VPO1. Collectively, these findings suggest for the first time that VPO1 plays a critical role in ox-LDL-induced endothelial cell apoptosis and that there is a positive feedback loop between VPO1/HOCl and the now-accepted dogma that the NADPH oxidase/ROS/p38 MAPK/caspase-3 pathway is involved in ox-LDL-induced endothelial cell apoptosis. PMID:21820048

Confirmation of the "protein-traffic-hypothesis" and the "protein-localization-hypothesis" using the diabetes-mellitus-type-1-knock-in and transgenic-murine-models and the trepitope sequences.

PubMed

Arneth, Borros

2012-10-01

As possible mechanisms to explain the emergence of autoimmune diseases, the current author has suggested in earlier papers two new pathways: the "protein localization hypothesis" and the "protein traffic hypothesis". The "protein localization hypothesis" states that an autoimmune disease develops if a protein accumulates in a previously unoccupied compartment, that did not previously contain that protein. Similarly, the "protein traffic hypothesis" states that a sudden error within the transport of a certain protein leads to the emergence of an autoimmune disease. The current article discusses the usefulness of the different commercially available transgenic murine models of diabetes mellitus type 1 to confirm the aforementioned hypotheses. This discussion shows that several transgenic murine models of diabetes mellitus type 1 are in-line and confirm the aforementioned hypotheses. Furthermore, these hypotheses are additionally inline with the occurrence of several newly discovered protein sequences, the so-called trepitope sequences. These sequences modulate the immune response to certain proteins. The current study analyzed to what extent the hypotheses are supported by the occurrence of these new sequences. Thereby the occurrence of the trepitope sequences provides additional evidence supporting the aforementioned hypotheses. Both the "protein localization hypothesis" and the "protein traffic hypothesis" have the potential to lead to new causal therapy concepts. The "protein localization hypothesis" and the "protein traffic hypothesis" provide conceptional explanations for the diabetes mouse models as well as for the newly discovered trepitope sequences. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Stuck at work? Quantitative proteomics of environmental wine yeast strains reveals the natural mechanism of overcoming stuck fermentation.

PubMed

Szopinska, Aleksandra; Christ, Eva; Planchon, Sebastien; König, Helmut; Evers, Daniele; Renaut, Jenny

2016-02-01

During fermentation oenological yeast cells are subjected to a number of different stress conditions and must respond rapidly to the continuously changing environment of this harsh ecological niche. In this study we gained more insights into the cell adaptation mechanisms by linking proteome monitoring with knowledge on physiological behaviour of different strains during fermentation under model winemaking conditions. We used 2D-DIGE technology to monitor the proteome evolution of two newly discovered environmental yeast strains Saccharomyces bayanus and triple hybrid Saccharomyces cerevisiae × Saccharomyces kudriavzevii × S. bayanus and compared them to data obtained for the commercially available S. cerevisiae strain. All strains examined showed (i) different fermentative behaviour, (ii) stress resistance as well as (iii) susceptibility to stuck fermentation which was reflected in significant differences in protein expression levels. During our research we identified differentially expressed proteins in 155 gel spots which correspond to 70 different protein functions. Differences of expression between strains were observed mainly among proteins involved in stress response, proteins degradation pathways, cell redox homeostasis and amino acids biosynthesis. Interestingly, the newly discovered triple hybrid S. cerevisiae × S. kudriavzevii × S. bayanus strain which has the ability to naturally restart stuck fermentation showed a very strong induction of expression of two proteolytic enzymes: Pep4 and Prc1 that appear as numerous isoforms on the gel image and which may be the key to its unique properties. This study is an important step towards the better understanding of wine fermentations at a molecular level. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Clustering and Candidate Motif Detection in Exosomal miRNAs by Application of Machine Learning Algorithms.

PubMed

Gaur, Pallavi; Chaturvedi, Anoop

2017-07-22

The clustering pattern and motifs give immense information about any biological data. An application of machine learning algorithms for clustering and candidate motif detection in miRNAs derived from exosomes is depicted in this paper. Recent progress in the field of exosome research and more particularly regarding exosomal miRNAs has led much bioinformatic-based research to come into existence. The information on clustering pattern and candidate motifs in miRNAs of exosomal origin would help in analyzing existing, as well as newly discovered miRNAs within exosomes. Along with obtaining clustering pattern and candidate motifs in exosomal miRNAs, this work also elaborates the usefulness of the machine learning algorithms that can be efficiently used and executed on various programming languages/platforms. Data were clustered and sequence candidate motifs were detected successfully. The results were compared and validated with some available web tools such as 'BLASTN' and 'MEME suite'. The machine learning algorithms for aforementioned objectives were applied successfully. This work elaborated utility of machine learning algorithms and language platforms to achieve the tasks of clustering and candidate motif detection in exosomal miRNAs. With the information on mentioned objectives, deeper insight would be gained for analyses of newly discovered miRNAs in exosomes which are considered to be circulating biomarkers. In addition, the execution of machine learning algorithms on various language platforms gives more flexibility to users to try multiple iterations according to their requirements. This approach can be applied to other biological data-mining tasks as well.

Kanyawara Virus: A Novel Rhabdovirus Infecting Newly Discovered Nycteribiid Bat Flies Infesting Previously Unknown Pteropodid Bats in Uganda.

PubMed

Goldberg, Tony L; Bennett, Andrew J; Kityo, Robert; Kuhn, Jens H; Chapman, Colin A

2017-07-13

Bats are natural reservoir hosts of highly virulent pathogens such as Marburg virus, Nipah virus, and SARS coronavirus. However, little is known about the role of bat ectoparasites in transmitting and maintaining such viruses. The intricate relationship between bats and their ectoparasites suggests that ectoparasites might serve as viral vectors, but evidence to date is scant. Bat flies, in particular, are highly specialized obligate hematophagous ectoparasites that incidentally bite humans. Using next-generation sequencing, we discovered a novel ledantevirus (mononegaviral family Rhabdoviridae, genus Ledantevirus) in nycteribiid bat flies infesting pteropodid bats in western Uganda. Mitochondrial DNA analyses revealed that both the bat flies and their bat hosts belong to putative new species. The coding-complete genome of the new virus, named Kanyawara virus (KYAV), is only distantly related to that of its closest known relative, Mount Elgon bat virus, and was found at high titers in bat flies but not in blood or on mucosal surfaces of host bats. Viral genome analysis indicates unusually low CpG dinucleotide depletion in KYAV compared to other ledanteviruses and rhabdovirus groups, with KYAV displaying values similar to rhabdoviruses of arthropods. Our findings highlight the possibility of a yet-to-be-discovered diversity of potentially pathogenic viruses in bat ectoparasites.

Bow shocks in a newly discovered maser source in IRAS 20231+3440

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ogbodo, C. S.; Burns, R. A.; Handa, T.; Omodaka, T.; Nakagawa, A.; Nagayama, T.; Honma, M.; Chibueze, J. O.; Ubachukwu, A. A.; Eze, R. N. C.

2017-08-01

From measuring the annual parallax of water masers over 1.5 yr with VLBI Exploration of Radio Astrometry, we present the trigonometric parallax and corresponding distance of another newly identified water maser source in the region of IRAS 20231+3440 as π = 0.611 ± 0.022 mas and D = 1.64 ± 0.06 kpc, respectively. We measured the absolute proper motions of all the newly detected maser spots (30 spots) and presented two pictures describing the possible spatial distribution of the water maser as the morphology marks out an arc of masers whose average proper motion velocity in the jet direction was 14.26 km s-1. As revealed by the ALLWISE composite image and by applying the colour-colour method of young stellar objects (YSO) identification and classification on photometric archived data, we identified the driving source of the north maser group to be a class I, young stellar object. To further probe the nature of the progenitor, we used the momentum rate maximum value (1.2 × 10-4 M⊙ yr-1 km s-1) of the outflow to satisfy that the progenitor under investigation is a low-mass young stellar object concurrently forming alongside an intermediate-mass YSO ˜60 000 au (˜37 arcsec) away from it.

Biostratigraphy and foraminiferal Assemblages of the West Siberian Albian

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Podobina, V. M.

2017-12-01

New data of the Biostratigraphy and Albian foraminiferal assemblages from the sections of newly drilled wells in the Yamal peninsula have been obtained. This territory is assigned by the author to the Northern palaeobiogeographical district, the southern border of which goes along the latitudinal flow of the Ob River. The most diverse Albian foraminiferal assemblages have been discovered in the section of borehole 50 of the Malyginskaya area as well as in the sections of borehole 124 of the West-Tambeiskaya, boreholes, 201, 205 of the North-Tambeiskaya areas. Somewhat similar Albian foraminiferal assemblages were earlier studied by the author in 10 sections of the boreholes of the Samatlor area in the latitudinal Ob River Region. The Middle Albian assemblage is the most stable and diverse in its specific respect. It was discovered not only in the identified sections in the Yamal wells but also southwards in the earlier explored areas. The Albian foraminiferal species of the Yamal peninsula are illustrated in 5 photos and 1 drawing.

The G protein-coupled receptors deorphanization landscape.

PubMed

Laschet, Céline; Dupuis, Nadine; Hanson, Julien

2018-07-01

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are usually highlighted as being both the largest family of membrane proteins and the most productive source of drug targets. However, most of the GPCRs are understudied and hence cannot be used immediately for innovative therapeutic strategies. Besides, there are still around 100 orphan receptors, with no described endogenous ligand and no clearly defined function. The race to discover new ligands for these elusive receptors seems to be less intense than before. Here, we present an update of the various strategies employed to assign a function to these receptors and to discover new ligands. We focus on the recent advances in the identification of endogenous ligands with a detailed description of newly deorphanized receptors. Replication being a key parameter in these endeavors, we also discuss the latest controversies about problematic ligand-receptor pairings. In this context, we propose several recommendations in order to strengthen the reporting of new ligand-receptor pairs. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

ARC-1981-A86-7005

NASA Image and Video Library

1981-01-18

Range : 7.7 million km. ( 4.8 million miles ) P-29465 In this image captured by Voyager 2, three newly discovered satellites of Uranus can be seen orbiting outside of the nine known rings of Uranus. The outermost of the rings, the Epsilon Ring can be seen here at upper right. The largest of the three moons viewed here, 1986U1, was discovered January 3rd. it is an estimated 90 km. ( 55 mi. ) across and its orbits Uranus every 12 hours, 19 minutes ata distance of 66,090 km. ( 41,040 mi.) from the planets center. the other two moons are slightly smaller, 1986U3 orbits every 11 hours, 6 minutes at 61,750 km. ( 38,350 mi.),1986U4 every 13 hours, 24 minutes at 69,920 km. ( 43,420 mi.). They were dicovered on January 9th and 13th, respectively. Long exposures were required to bring out these small objects. As a result of the relative motions of the spacecraft and the moons, they appear slightly elongated.

Electronic and Optical Properties of Novel Phases of Silicon and Silicon-Based Derivatives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ong, Chin Shen; Choi, Sangkook; Louie, Steven

2014-03-01

The vast majority of solar cells in the market today are made from crystalline silicon in the diamond-cubic phase. Nonetheless, diamond-cubic Si has an intrinsic disadvantage: it has an indirect band gap with a large energy difference between the direct gap and the indirect gap. In this work, we perform a careful study of the electronic and optical properties of a newly discovered cubic-Si20 phase of Si that is found to sport a direct band gap. In addition, other silicon-based derivatives have also been discovered and found to be thermodynamically metastable. We carry out ab initio GW and GW-BSE calculations for the quasiparticle excitations and optical spectra, respectively, of these new phases of silicon and silicon-based derivatives. This work was supported by NSF grant No. DMR10-1006184 and U.S. DOE under Contract No. DE-AC02-05CH11231. Computational resources have been provided by DOE at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory's NERSC facility and the NSF through XSEDE resources at NICS.

Discovery of Neuropeptides in the Nematode Ascaris suum by Database Mining and Tandem Mass Spectrometry

PubMed Central

Jarecki, Jessica L.; Frey, Brian L.; Smith, Lloyd M.; Stretton, Antony O.

2011-01-01

Liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was used to discover peptides in extracts of the large parasitic nematode Ascaris suum. This required the assembly of a new database of known and predicted peptides. In addition to those already sequenced, peptides were either previously predicted to be processed from precursor proteins identified in an A. suum library of expressed sequence tags (ESTs), or newly predicted from a library of A. suum genome survey sequences (GSSs). The predicted MS/MS fragmentation patterns of this collection of real and putative peptides were compared with the actual fragmentation patterns found in the MS/MS spectra of peptides fractionated by MS; this enabled individual peptides to be sequenced. Many previously identified peptides were found, and 21 novel peptides were discovered. Thus, this approach is very useful, despite the fact that the available GSS database is still preliminary, having only 1X coverage. PMID:21524146

Brown Dwarf Microlensing (Illustration)

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-11-10

This illustration depicts a newly discovered brown dwarf, an object that weighs in somewhere between our solar system's most massive planet (Jupiter) and the least-massive-known star. This brown dwarf, dubbed OGLE-2015-BLG-1319, interests astronomers because it may fall in the "desert" of brown dwarfs. Scientists have found that, for stars roughly the mass of our sun, less than 1 percent have a brown dwarf orbiting within 3 AU (1 AU is the distance between Earth and the sun). This brown dwarf was discovered when it and its star passed between Earth and a much more distant star in our galaxy. This created a microlensing event, where the gravity of the system amplified the light of the background star over the course of several weeks. This microlensing was observed by ground-based telescopes looking for these uncommon events, and was the first to be seen by two space-based telescopes: NASA's Spitzer and Swift missions. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA21076

Nicotinamide riboside promotes Sir2 silencing and extends lifespan via Nrk and Urh1/Pnp1/Meu1 pathways to NAD+.

PubMed

Belenky, Peter; Racette, Frances G; Bogan, Katrina L; McClure, Julie M; Smith, Jeffrey S; Brenner, Charles

2007-05-04

Although NAD(+) biosynthesis is required for Sir2 functions and replicative lifespan in yeast, alterations in NAD(+) precursors have been reported to accelerate aging but not to extend lifespan. In eukaryotes, nicotinamide riboside is a newly discovered NAD(+) precursor that is converted to nicotinamide mononucleotide by specific nicotinamide riboside kinases, Nrk1 and Nrk2. In this study, we discovered that exogenous nicotinamide riboside promotes Sir2-dependent repression of recombination, improves gene silencing, and extends lifespan without calorie restriction. The mechanism of action of nicotinamide riboside is totally dependent on increased net NAD(+) synthesis through two pathways, the Nrk1 pathway and the Urh1/Pnp1/Meu1 pathway, which is Nrk1 independent. Additionally, the two nicotinamide riboside salvage pathways contribute to NAD(+) metabolism in the absence of nicotinamide-riboside supplementation. Thus, like calorie restriction in the mouse, nicotinamide riboside elevates NAD(+) and increases Sir2 function.

Observation of nodal line in non-symmorphic topological semimetal InBi

DOE PAGES

Ekahana, Sandy Adhitia; Wu, Shu-Chun; Jiang, Juan; ...

2017-05-30

Topological nodal semimetal (TNS), characterized by its touching conduction and valence bands, is a newly discovered state of quantum matter which exhibits various exotic physical phenomena. Recently, a new type of TNS called topological nodal line semimetal (TNLS) is predicted where its conduction and valence band form a degenerate one-dimension line which is further protected by its crystal symmetry. In this work, we systematically investigated the bulk and surface electronic structure of the non-symmorphic, TNLS in InBi (which is also a type II Dirac semimetal) with strong spin–orbit coupling by using angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy. By tracking the crossing points of the bulk bands at the Brillouin zone boundary, we discovered the nodal-line feature along themore » $${{k}}_{{z}}$$ direction, in agreement with the ab initio calculations and confirmed it to be a new compound in the TNLS family. Our discovery provides a new material platform for the study of these exotic topological quantum phases and paves the way for possible future applications.« less

Spectroscopy of Kepler Exo-planet Transit Candidate Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Howell, Steve B.; Everett, Mark; Silva, David; Rowe, Jason; Szkody, Paula; Mighell, Ken; Ciardi, David

2012-02-01

We propose a long term spectroscopic follow-up program in support of the NASA Kepler exo-planet mission. The Kepler project is now focusing on exo-planet candidates which are smaller in radius (down to Earth- size), have longer period orbits and many of which orbit fainter stars. Our program will spend 85% of the time on our primary goal, spectroscopy of the host stars of exoplanet candidates, and 15% of the time on investigation of other astrophysically interesting stars discovered by Kepler. Our prime goal is to obtain reconnaissance spectra of newly discovered exo-planet stars yielding model fits to T_eff and log g. Secondary goals are to obtain velocity information on EBs with a third component aimed toward discovery of circumbinary planets (such as Kepler 16b) and identification spectra of U-band selected targets in order to find more white dwarfs for Kepler focal plane calibration purposes. All of these tasks can be accomplished using the Kitt Peak 4-m telescope and RCspec as shown by our previous time allocations.

Health status of a recently discovered population of feral swine in Kansas

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gipson, P.S.; Veatch, J.K.; Matlack, R.S.; Jones, D.P.

1999-01-01

Twenty feral hogs (Sus scrofa) from a newly discovered population on Fort Riley Army Base (Kansas, USA) were shot and examined from November 1993 through February 1994 to assess the health of the population. The hogs were generally healthy, although serologic evidence indicated that some individuals had been exposed to parvovirus, enterovirus, and swine influenza. We found no indications of brucellosis, pseudorabies, or porcine respiratory and reproductive syndrome. Lung worms (Metastrongylus spp.), round worms (Ascaris suum), and whipworms (Trichuris suis) were found in nine, four and two of the hogs, respectively. Seven hogs had infestations of lice (Haematopinus suis). Fence-line contacts were documented between four wild boars and domestic sows, and in three cases wild boars entered pens containing domestic sows. We recommend that hogs be examined periodically from this and other wild populations to monitor health status since new animals may enter populations through deliberate translocation, escape from shooting preserves or domestic swine producers, or dispersal from other feral populations.

Compensation for occupational diseases by chemical agents in Korea.

PubMed

Kwon, Soon-Chan; Roh, Soo-Yong; Lee, Ji-Hoon; Kim, Eun-A

2014-06-01

Investigation into the frequency of compensation for occupational diseases (ODs) caused by hazardous chemicals revealed an important opportunity for the improvement and further development of occupational health and safety systems in Korea. In response to concerns after outbreaks of disease due to chemical exposure, specific criteria for recognition of ODs were established and included in the Enforcement Decree of the Labor Standard Act (LSA) and the Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance Act (IACIA) on June 28, 2013. However, the original versions of the LSA and IACIA contain several limitations. First, the criteria was listed inconsistently according to the symptoms or signs of acute poisoning. Second, all newly recognized hazardous chemicals and chemicals recognized as hazardous by the International Labor Organization (ILO) were not included in the LSA and IACIA. Although recent amendments have addressed these shortcomings, future amendments should strive to include all chemicals listed by the ILO and continuously add newly discovered hazardous chemicals as they are introduced into the workplace.

Reduced virus replication, proinflammatory cytokine production, and delayed macrophage cell death in human PBMCs infected with the newly discovered Bundibugyo ebolavirus relative to Zaire ebolavirus.

PubMed

Gupta, Manisha; Goldsmith, Cynthia S; Metcalfe, Maureen G; Spiropoulou, Christina F; Spipopoulou, Christina F; Rollin, Pierre E

2010-06-20

Bundibugyo ebolavirus is a newly identified Ebolavirus species. The virus was responsible for a recent hemorrhagic fever outbreak in Uganda with an approximate 30% case fatality rate. In this study, we compared the pathogenesis of Bundibugyo with highly lethal Zaire Ebolavirus by using in vitro human PBMCs. We found that PBMCs infected with Bundibugyo ebolaviruses resulted in 1 to 2 log lower virus yields compared to Zaire ebolavirus and produced 2- to 10-fold lower levels of TNF-alpha, MCP-1, IL-1beta, MIP1-alpha and IL-10 than PBMCs infected with Zaire ebolavirus. In addition, flow cytometric studies have shown lower levels and delay of the macrophage cell death in Bundibugyo ebolavirus compared to Zaire ebolavirus infection. The findings of slower Bundibugyo ebolavirus replication, lower production of proinflammatory cytokines and delay in macrophage cell death provide insight into the basis of the lower case fatality observed with Bundibugyo ebolavirus. Published by Elsevier Inc.

SU-E-T-571: Newly Emerging Integrated Transmission Detector Systems Provide Online Quality Assurance of External Beam Radiation Therapy

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

Hoffman, D; Chung, E; Hess, C

2015-06-15

Purpose: Two newly emerging transmission detectors positioned upstream from the patient have been evaluated for online quality assurance of external beam radiotherapy. The prototype for the Integral Quality Monitor (IQM), developed by iRT Systems GmbH (Koblenz, Germany) is a large-area ion chamber mounted on the linac accessory tray to monitor photon fluence, energy, beam shape, and gantry position during treatment. The ion chamber utilizes a thickness gradient which records variable response dependent on beam position. The prototype of Delta4 Discover™, developed by ScandiDos (Uppsala, Sweden) is a linac accessory tray mounted 4040 diode array that measures photon fluence during patientmore » treatment. Both systems are employable for patient specific QA prior to treatment delivery. Methods: Our institution evaluated the reproducibility of measurements using various beam types, including VMAT treatment plans with both the IQM ion chamber and the Delta4 Discover diode array. Additionally, the IQM’s effect on photon fluence, dose response, simulated beam error detection, and the accuracy of the integrated barometer, thermometer, and inclinometer were characterized. The evaluated photon beam errors are based on the annual tolerances specified in AAPM TG-142. Results: Repeated VMAT treatments were measured with 0.16% reproducibility by the IQM and 0.55% reproducibility by the Delta4 Discover. The IQM attenuated 6, 10, and 15 MV photon beams by 5.43±0.02%, 4.60±0.02%, and 4.21±0.03% respectively. Photon beam profiles were affected <1.5% in the non-penumbra regions. The IQM’s ion chamber’s dose response was linear and the thermometer, barometer, and inclinometer agreed with other calibrated devices. The device detected variations in monitor units delivered (1%), field position (3mm), single MLC leaf positions (13mm), and photon energy. Conclusion: We have characterized two new transmissions detector systems designed to provide in-vivo like measurements upstream from the patient. Both systems demonstrate substantial utility for online treatment verification and QA of photon external beam radiotherapy.« less

Prediction of FAD binding sites in electron transport proteins according to efficient radial basis function networks and significant amino acid pairs.

PubMed

Le, Nguyen-Quoc-Khanh; Ou, Yu-Yen

2016-07-30

Cellular respiration is a catabolic pathway for producing adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and is the most efficient process through which cells harvest energy from consumed food. When cells undergo cellular respiration, they require a pathway to keep and transfer electrons (i.e., the electron transport chain). Due to oxidation-reduction reactions, the electron transport chain produces a transmembrane proton electrochemical gradient. In case protons flow back through this membrane, this mechanical energy is converted into chemical energy by ATP synthase. The convert process is involved in producing ATP which provides energy in a lot of cellular processes. In the electron transport chain process, flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) is one of the most vital molecules for carrying and transferring electrons. Therefore, predicting FAD binding sites in the electron transport chain is vital for helping biologists understand the electron transport chain process and energy production in cells. We used an independent data set to evaluate the performance of the proposed method, which had an accuracy of 69.84 %. We compared the performance of the proposed method in analyzing two newly discovered electron transport protein sequences with that of the general FAD binding predictor presented by Mishra and Raghava and determined that the accuracy of the proposed method improved by 9-45 % and its Matthew's correlation coefficient was 0.14-0.5. Furthermore, the proposed method enabled reducing the number of false positives significantly and can provide useful information for biologists. We developed a method that is based on PSSM profiles and SAAPs for identifying FAD binding sites in newly discovered electron transport protein sequences. This approach achieved a significant improvement after we added SAAPs to PSSM features to analyze FAD binding proteins in the electron transport chain. The proposed method can serve as an effective tool for predicting FAD binding sites in electron transport proteins and can help biologists understand the functions of the electron transport chain, particularly those of FAD binding sites. We also developed a web server which identifies FAD binding sites in electron transporters available for academics.

Strong Intrinsic Spin Hall Effect in the TaAs Family of Weyl Semimetals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Yan; Zhang, Yang; Felser, Claudia; Yan, Binghai

2016-09-01

Since their discovery, topological insulators are expected to be ideal spintronic materials owing to the spin currents carried by surface states with spin-momentum locking. However, the bulk doping problem remains an obstacle that hinders such an application. In this work, we predict that a newly discovered family of topological materials, the Weyl semimetals, exhibits a large intrinsic spin Hall effect that can be utilized to generate and detect spin currents. Our ab initio calculations reveal a large spin Hall conductivity in the TaAs family of Weyl materials. Considering the low charge conductivity of semimetals, Weyl semimetals are believed to present a larger spin Hall angle (the ratio of the spin Hall conductivity over the charge conductivity) than that of conventional spin Hall systems such as the 4 d and 5 d transition metals. The spin Hall effect originates intrinsically from the bulk band structure of Weyl semimetals, which exhibit a large Berry curvature and spin-orbit coupling, so the bulk carrier problem in the topological insulators is naturally avoided. Our work not only paves the way for employing Weyl semimetals in spintronics, but also proposes a new guideline for searching for the spin Hall effect in various topological materials.

A deep learning method for lincRNA detection using auto-encoder algorithm.

PubMed

Yu, Ning; Yu, Zeng; Pan, Yi

2017-12-06

RNA sequencing technique (RNA-seq) enables scientists to develop novel data-driven methods for discovering more unidentified lincRNAs. Meantime, knowledge-based technologies are experiencing a potential revolution ignited by the new deep learning methods. By scanning the newly found data set from RNA-seq, scientists have found that: (1) the expression of lincRNAs appears to be regulated, that is, the relevance exists along the DNA sequences; (2) lincRNAs contain some conversed patterns/motifs tethered together by non-conserved regions. The two evidences give the reasoning for adopting knowledge-based deep learning methods in lincRNA detection. Similar to coding region transcription, non-coding regions are split at transcriptional sites. However, regulatory RNAs rather than message RNAs are generated. That is, the transcribed RNAs participate the biological process as regulatory units instead of generating proteins. Identifying these transcriptional regions from non-coding regions is the first step towards lincRNA recognition. The auto-encoder method achieves 100% and 92.4% prediction accuracy on transcription sites over the putative data sets. The experimental results also show the excellent performance of predictive deep neural network on the lincRNA data sets compared with support vector machine and traditional neural network. In addition, it is validated through the newly discovered lincRNA data set and one unreported transcription site is found by feeding the whole annotated sequences through the deep learning machine, which indicates that deep learning method has the extensive ability for lincRNA prediction. The transcriptional sequences of lincRNAs are collected from the annotated human DNA genome data. Subsequently, a two-layer deep neural network is developed for the lincRNA detection, which adopts the auto-encoder algorithm and utilizes different encoding schemes to obtain the best performance over intergenic DNA sequence data. Driven by those newly annotated lincRNA data, deep learning methods based on auto-encoder algorithm can exert their capability in knowledge learning in order to capture the useful features and the information correlation along DNA genome sequences for lincRNA detection. As our knowledge, this is the first application to adopt the deep learning techniques for identifying lincRNA transcription sequences.

Labiopexy and labioplasty for labium majus rejuvenation in light of a newly discovered anatomic structure.

PubMed

Ostrzenski, Adam

2014-06-01

Currently, removal of excessive cutis with subdermal adipose tissues is done for labium majus rejuvenation. The objectives of this study were to determine the accurate labium majus anatomy, to develop new labiopexy and labioplasty techniques, to attest to the applicability of these two new operations, and to determine the impact of the operations on self-perceived body image and sensation of nerve endings. A prospective case series study was conducted. Eleven fresh human female cadavers and three living subjects were studied. Living subjects were healthy women and presented with labium majus deformities. The study was conducted in three phases: phase I, the labium majus anatomy of the cadavers was studied; phase II, anatomic findings from phase I were used to develop and standardize new stepwise surgical interventions; and phase III, newly developed operations were implemented on living subjects. Labial sensation tests of nerve endings were performed preoperatively and at 6 months postoperatively. The primary outcome measured the labial anatomy and applicability of the new operations. The secondary outcome measured the self-perceived body image and sensation of nerve endings before and after surgery. A new anatomic feature, the labium majus adipose sac, was discovered and was present in each subject. Labium majus labiopexy and labioplasty were executed without technical difficulties or complications. Postoperatively, the self-perceived body image improved and sensation of nerve endings was intact. The labium majus adipose sac is present in each woman. Intraoperatively, newly developed labium majus labiopexy and/or labioplasty do not create technical problems. Self-perceived body image improves and sensation of the nerve endings is intact after labiopexy or labioplasty. This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each submission to which Evidence-Based Medicine rankings are applicable. This excludes Review Articles, Book Reviews, and manuscripts that concern Basic Science, Animal Studies, Cadaver Studies, and Experimental Studies. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors http://www.springer.com/00266.

The valet and the astronomer - Text and commentary of a Kepler letter newly found by Michael Göbel in the Austrian State Achive. (German Title: Der Kammerdiener und der Astronom - Text und Kommentar zu einem von Michael Göbel im Österreichischen Staatsarchiv neu aufgefundenen Keplerbrief)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pärr, Nora

In connection with the reprocessing of archival stocks in the Austrian State Archive, a hitherto unknown letter written by J. Kepler and addressed to Philipp Lang von Langenfels, valet of emperor Rudolph II was discovered. The contents of the letter, written presumably in March, 1601, deal with the preparation of ephemerides for the emperor, for which Kepler used calculations by Georg Galgenmair.

Transformation and diversification in early mammal evolution.

PubMed

Luo, Zhe-Xi

2007-12-13

Evolution of the earliest mammals shows successive episodes of diversification. Lineage-splitting in Mesozoic mammals is coupled with many independent evolutionary experiments and ecological specializations. Classic scenarios of mammalian morphological evolution tend to posit an orderly acquisition of key evolutionary innovations leading to adaptive diversification, but newly discovered fossils show that evolution of such key characters as the middle ear and the tribosphenic teeth is far more labile among Mesozoic mammals. Successive diversifications of Mesozoic mammal groups multiplied the opportunities for many dead-end lineages to iteratively evolve developmental homoplasies and convergent ecological specializations, parallel to those in modern mammal groups.

The search for MeV gamma-ray pulsars with COMPTEL

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bennett, K.; Buccheri, R.; Busetta, M.; Carraminana, A.; Connors, A.; Diehl, R.; Hermsen, W.; Kuiper, L.; Lichti, G. G.; Much, R.

1995-01-01

The Compton Gamma Ray Observatory (CGRO) completed a full sky survey in November 1993 during which the number of known gamma-ray pulsars more than doubled. During this survey the Compton Telescope (COMPTEL) observed the classical isolated pulsars Crab and Vela and detected PSR 1509-58. Attempts to detect the newly discovered pulsars, Geminga, PSR 1706-44 and PSR 1055-52, in the COMPTEL energy range provide only upper limits. The results of these analyses are presented together with the outcome of a search for further candidate radio pulsars whose ephemerides are given in the Princeton Pulsar Catalogue.

Metastable phase selection from undercooled Zr 77 Rh 23 liquid alloys

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

Johnson, M. L.; Gibbons, P. C.; Vogt, A. J.

2017-11-01

From measurements of X-ray and neutron scattering of electrostatically levitated Zr77Rh23 liquids, a variety of metastable crystallization behavior was observed. The metastable phase selection in deeply undercooled liquid droplets is characterized and their crystallization pathways discussed. A metastable phase previously identified as a primary devitrification product from the metallic glass formed when undercooling was maximized to near the hypercooling limit. The direct formation of α–Zr and the equilibrium C16 phase as well as a newly discovered Zr5Rh3 (Mg5Si3-type) phase are also reported.

A possible biochemical missing link among archaebacteria

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Achenbach-Richter, Laurie; Woese, Carl R.; Stetter, Karl O.

1987-01-01

The characteristics of the newly discovered strain of archaebacteria, VC-16, the only archaebacterium known to reduce sulfate, suggest that VC-16 might represent a transitional form between an anaerobic thermophilic sulfur-based type of metabolism and methanogenesis. It is shown here, using a matrix of evolutionary distances derived from an alignment of various archaebacterial 16S rRNAs and the phylogenetic tree derived from these evolutionary distances, that the lineage represented by strain VC-16 arises from the archaebacterial tree precisely where such an interpretation would predict that it would, between the Methanococcus lineage and that of Thermococcus.

[In Process Citation].

PubMed

Granada, Miguel A; Lenke, Nils; Roudet, Nicolas

2014-01-01

We report on a newly discovered letter by Christoph Rothmann, dated July 1st 1584, and addressed to Johann Ernst of Anhalt. The letter supports the earlier assumption that Johann Ernst recommended Rothmann to Landgrave Wilhelm of Hesse, as Rothmann asks for Johann Ernst's help on the matter in this new source. More importantly Rothmann refers to his attempts to make Copernicus' calculations compatible with the Ptolomean model, which demonstrates that already at this stage of his career he was working on such a compromise, and not only after being influenced by Raimarus Ursus or Tycho Brahe, as has been argued by some authors.

Met receptor inhibitor SU11274 localizes in the endoplasmic reticulum.

PubMed

Wiest, Edwin J; Smith, Heather Jensen; Hollingsworth, Michael A

2018-07-02

We discovered that SU11274, a class I c-Met inhibitor, fluoresces when excited by 488 nm laser light and showed rapid specific accumulation in distinct subcellular compartments. Given that SU11274 reduces cancer cell viability, we exploited these newly identified spectral properties to determine SU11274 intracellular distribution and accumulation in human pancreatic cancer cells. The aim of the studies reported here was to identify organelle(s) to which SU11274 is trafficked. We conclude that SU11274 rapidly and predominantly accumulates in the endoplasmic reticulum. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Retrovirus XMRV Is Inhibited by Host Proteins and Anti-HIV Drugs AZT, Tenofovir, and Raltegravir | Center for Cancer Research

Cancer.gov

A newly discovered retrovirus, XMRV, isolated from prostate cancer tissues for the first time in 2006, has recently been reported in patients with this cancer, as well as in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). However, five subsequent studies could not validate these reports. Since XMRV was isolated from the T and B cells of CFS patients, Vinay Pathak and his colleagues in the HIV Drug Resistance Program sought to determine how XMRV was countering intracellular defense mechanisms that inhibit retroviral replication in human cells.

Protein classification using sequential pattern mining.

PubMed

Exarchos, Themis P; Papaloukas, Costas; Lampros, Christos; Fotiadis, Dimitrios I

2006-01-01

Protein classification in terms of fold recognition can be employed to determine the structural and functional properties of a newly discovered protein. In this work sequential pattern mining (SPM) is utilized for sequence-based fold recognition. One of the most efficient SPM algorithms, cSPADE, is employed for protein primary structure analysis. Then a classifier uses the extracted sequential patterns for classifying proteins of unknown structure in the appropriate fold category. The proposed methodology exhibited an overall accuracy of 36% in a multi-class problem of 17 candidate categories. The classification performance reaches up to 65% when the three most probable protein folds are considered.

Photometric commissioning results from MINERVA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eastman, Jason D.; Swift, Jonathan; Beatty, Thomas G.; Bottom, Michael; Johnson, John; Wright, Jason; McCrady, Nate; Wittenmyer, Robert A.; Riddle, Reed L.; Plavchan, Peter; Muirhead, Philip Steven; Blake, Cullen; Zhao, Ming

2015-01-01

MINERVA is a robotic observatory with four 0.7 meter telescopes at Mt. Hopkins, Arizona, dedicated to precise photometry and radial velocity observations of bright, nearby stars for the discovery and characterization of small exoplanets. Here we present the first photometric results from MINERVA during commissioning at our test facility in Pasadena, California, demonstrating sub-millimag precision on 3-5 minute timescales over several hours. These results show that MINERVA is well-equipped to address its secondary science goal of searching for transits of known and newly discovered super-Earth exoplanets detected by radial velocity, including potential detections from the MINERVA spectrograph.

Satellite Observations of New Volcanic Island in Tonga

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vaughan, R. Greg; Abrams, Michael J.; Hook, Simon J.; Pieri, David C.

2007-01-01

A rising volcanic plume from an unknown source was observed on 9-11 August 2006 in the Vava'u Island group in the northernmost islands of Tonga [Matangi News Online, 2006]. On 12 August, the crew on board the yacht Maiken, sailing west from Vava'u to Fiji, encountered ``a vast, many miles wide, belt of densely packed pumice'' floating on the water (F. Fransson personal communication, 2006). Later, the crew sailed south and discovered that the source of the pumice was a newly erupting submarine volcano near Home Reef (18.991°S, 174.767°W) (Figure 1a).

Satellite Observations of New Volcanic Island in Tonga

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vaughan, R. Greg; Abrams, Michael J.; Hook, Simon J.; Pieri, David C.

2007-01-01

A rising volcanic plume from an unknown source was observed on 9-11 August 2006 in the Vava'u Island group in the northernmost islands of Tonga [Matangi News Online, 2006]. On 12 August, the crew on board the yacht Maiken, sailing west from Vava'u to Fiji, encountered 'a vast, many miles wide, belt of densely packed pumice' floating on the water (F. Fransson personal communication, 2006). Later, the crew sailed south and discovered that the source of the pumice was a newly erupting submarine volcano near Home Reef (18.991 deg S, 174.767 deg W).

Is QSO 1146 + 111B,C due to lensing by a cosmic string?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gott, J. R., III

1986-01-01

A newly discovered lens candidate, QSO 1146 + 111B,C, is discussed which appears to consist of two images of equal brightness of a quasar at redshift 1.01 separated by 2.6 arcmin. If this is produced by a cosmic string, its mass per unit length is about 4.0 x 10 to the 23rd g/cm or more. This value is large enough to be interesting for string-assisted galaxy formation and near the upper limits implied by the isotropy of the cosmic microwave background and constraints on gravitational radiation.

Excess Oxygen Defects in Layered Cuprates

DOE R&D Accomplishments Database

Lightfoot, P.; Pei, S. Y.; Jorgensen, J. D.; Manthiram, A.; Tang, X. X.; Goodenough, J. B.

1990-09-01

Neutron powder diffraction has been used to study the oxygen defect chemistry of two non-superconducting layered cuprates, La{sub 1. 25}Dy{sub 0.75}Cu{sub 3.75}F{sub 0.5}, having a T{sup {asterisk}}- related structure, and La{sub 1.85}Sr{sub 1.15}Cu{sub 2}O{sub 6.25}, having a structure related to that of the newly discovered double-layer superconductor La{sub 2-x}Sr{sub x}CaCu{sub 2}O{sub 6}. The role played by oxygen defects in determining the superconducting properties of layered cuprates is discussed.

Note on new KLT relations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feng, Bo; He, Song; Huang, Rijun; Jia, Yin

2010-10-01

In this short note, we present two results about KLT relations discussed in recent several papers. Our first result is the re-derivation of Mason-Skinner MHV amplitude by applying the S n-3 permutation symmetric KLT relations directly to MHV amplitude. Our second result is the equivalence proof of the newly discovered S n-2 permutation symmetric KLT relations and the well-known S n-3 permutation symmetric KLT relations. Although both formulas have been shown to be correct by BCFW recursion relations, our result is the first direct check using the regularized definition of the new formula.

Epigenetic Mistakes in Neurodevelopmental Disorders.

PubMed

Mastrototaro, Giuseppina; Zaghi, Mattia; Sessa, Alessandro

2017-04-01

Epigenetics is the array of the chromatin modifications that customize in cell-, stage-, or condition-specific manner the information encloses in plain DNA molecules. Increasing evidences suggest the importance of epigenetic mechanisms for development and maintenance of central nervous system. In fact, a large number of newly discovered genetic causes of neurodevelopmental disorders such as intellectual disability, autism spectrum disorders, and many other syndromes are mutations within genes encoding for chromatin remodeling enzymes. Here, we review recent findings on the epigenetic origin of human diseases, with emphasis on disorders that affect development of the nervous system, and discuss novel therapeutic avenues that target epigenetic mechanisms.

The ``Ghost Shell'': Discovery of the Forward Shock from Colliding Winds about Eta Carinae

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dorland, B. N.; Currie, D. G.; Kaufer, A.; Bacciotti, F.

2003-01-01

We report on the newly discovered ``Ghost Shell'' around eta Carinae. We have detected a high-velocity ( ~ - 850 km /s), spatially extended, narrow emission feature lying in front of the southeast lobe of eta Carinae's homunculus. This feature has the speed of a high-velocity shock but the spectrum of a low-velocity shock. We propose that the Ghost Shell is the forward shock between the fast stellar wind of the great eruption of 1842 and the older, slow, massive wind. This discovery is described in more detail in Currie, Dorland, & Kaufer (2002).

The Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment. Eclipsing Binary Stars in the Small Magellanic Cloud

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wyrzykowski, L.; Udalski, A.; Kubiak, M.; Szymanski, M. K.; Zebrun, K.; Soszynski, I.; Wozniak, P. R.; Pietrzynski, G.; Szewczyk, O.

2004-03-01

We present new version of the OGLE-II catalog of eclipsing binary stars detected in the Small Magellanic Cloud, based on Difference Image Analysis catalog of variable stars in the Magellanic Clouds containing data collected from 1997 to 2000. We found 1351 eclipsing binary stars in the central 2.4 square degree area of the SMC. 455 stars are newly discovered objects, not found in the previous release of the catalog. The eclipsing objects were selected with the automatic search algorithm based on the artificial neural network. The full catalog is accessible from the OGLE Internet archive.

Polypedilum nubifer, a Chironomid Midge (Diptera: Chironomidae) new to Florida that has nuisance potential

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

Jacobsen, R.E.; Perry, S.A.

2007-03-15

We document the first record of Polypedilum nubifer in Pan-America. This eurytopic species often reaches severe nuisance population sizes in Australia, Asia, and Hawaii in warm, shallow, eutrophic waters subject to drying. A large population was discovered in newly-constructed infiltration basins and neighboring marshes along the eastern boundary of Everglades National Park. Presently, this population appears minimally invasive to Park marshes and is far removed from urban areas. However, we anticipate this species could disperse and attain nuisance population sizes in suitable urban and agricultural habitats in south Florida. (author)

Protein-altering variants associated with body mass index implicate pathways that control energy intake and expenditure underpinning obesity

PubMed Central

Turcot, Valérie; Lu, Yingchang; Highland, Heather M; Schurmann, Claudia; Justice, Anne E; Fine, Rebecca S; Bradfield, Jonathan P; Esko, Tõnu; Giri, Ayush; Graff, Mariaelisa; Guo, Xiuqing; Hendricks, Audrey E; Karaderi, Tugce; Lempradl, Adelheid; Locke, Adam E; Mahajan, Anubha; Marouli, Eirini; Sivapalaratnam, Suthesh; Young, Kristin L; Alfred, Tamuno; Feitosa, Mary F; Masca, Nicholas GD; Manning, Alisa K; Medina-Gomez, Carolina; Mudgal, Poorva; Ng, Maggie CY; Reiner, Alex P; Vedantam, Sailaja; Willems, Sara M; Winkler, Thomas W; Abecasis, Goncalo; Aben, Katja K; Alam, Dewan S; Alharthi, Sameer E; Allison, Matthew; Amouyel, Philippe; Asselbergs, Folkert W; Auer, Paul L; Balkau, Beverley; Bang, Lia E; Barroso, Inês; Bastarache, Lisa; Benn, Marianne; Bergmann, Sven; Bielak, Lawrence F; Blüher, Matthias; Boehnke, Michael; Boeing, Heiner; Boerwinkle, Eric; Böger, Carsten A; Bork-Jensen, Jette; Bots, Michiel L; Bottinger, Erwin P; Bowden, Donald W; Brandslund, Ivan; Breen, Gerome; Brilliant, Murray H; Broer, Linda; Brumat, Marco; Burt, Amber A; Butterworth, Adam S; Campbell, Peter T; Cappellani, Stefania; Carey, David J; Catamo, Eulalia; Caulfield, Mark J; Chambers, John C; Chasman, Daniel I; Chen, Yii-Der Ida; Chowdhury, Rajiv; Christensen, Cramer; Chu, Audrey Y; Cocca, Massimiliano; Collins, Francis S; Cook, James P; Corley, Janie; Galbany, Jordi Corominas; Cox, Amanda J; Crosslin, David S; Cuellar-Partida, Gabriel; D'Eustacchio, Angela; Danesh, John; Davies, Gail; de Bakker, Paul IW; de Groot, Mark CH; de Mutsert, Renée; Deary, Ian J; Dedoussis, George; Demerath, Ellen W; den Heijer, Martin; den Hollander, Anneke I; den Ruijter, Hester M; Dennis, Joe G; Denny, Josh C; Di Angelantonio, Emanuele; Drenos, Fotios; Du, Mengmeng; Dubé, Marie-Pierre; Dunning, Alison M; Easton, Douglas F; Edwards, Todd L; Ellinghaus, David; Ellinor, Patrick T; Elliott, Paul; Evangelou, Evangelos; Farmaki, Aliki-Eleni; Farooqi, I. Sadaf; Faul, Jessica D; Fauser, Sascha; Feng, Shuang; Ferrannini, Ele; Ferrieres, Jean; Florez, Jose C; Ford, Ian; Fornage, Myriam; Franco, Oscar H; Franke, Andre; Franks, Paul W; Friedrich, Nele; Frikke-Schmidt, Ruth; Galesloot, Tessel E.; Gan, Wei; Gandin, Ilaria; Gasparini, Paolo; Gibson, Jane; Giedraitis, Vilmantas; Gjesing, Anette P; Gordon-Larsen, Penny; Gorski, Mathias; Grabe, Hans-Jörgen; Grant, Struan FA; Grarup, Niels; Griffiths, Helen L; Grove, Megan L; Gudnason, Vilmundur; Gustafsson, Stefan; Haessler, Jeff; Hakonarson, Hakon; Hammerschlag, Anke R; Hansen, Torben; Harris, Kathleen Mullan; Harris, Tamara B; Hattersley, Andrew T; Have, Christian T; Hayward, Caroline; He, Liang; Heard-Costa, Nancy L; Heath, Andrew C; Heid, Iris M; Helgeland, Øyvind; Hernesniemi, Jussi; Hewitt, Alex W; Holmen, Oddgeir L; Hovingh, G Kees; Howson, Joanna MM; Hu, Yao; Huang, Paul L; Huffman, Jennifer E; Ikram, M Arfan; Ingelsson, Erik; Jackson, Anne U; Jansson, Jan-Håkan; Jarvik, Gail P; Jensen, Gorm B; Jia, Yucheng; Johansson, Stefan; Jørgensen, Marit E; Jørgensen, Torben; Jukema, J Wouter; Kahali, Bratati; Kahn, René S; Kähönen, Mika; Kamstrup, Pia R; Kanoni, Stavroula; Kaprio, Jaakko; Karaleftheri, Maria; Kardia, Sharon LR; Karpe, Fredrik; Kathiresan, Sekar; Kee, Frank; Kiemeney, Lambertus A; Kim, Eric; Kitajima, Hidetoshi; Komulainen, Pirjo; Kooner, Jaspal S; Kooperberg, Charles; Korhonen, Tellervo; Kovacs, Peter; Kuivaniemi, Helena; Kutalik, Zoltán; Kuulasmaa, Kari; Kuusisto, Johanna; Laakso, Markku; Lakka, Timo A; Lamparter, David; Lange, Ethan M; Lange, Leslie A; Langenberg, Claudia; Larson, Eric B; Lee, Nanette R; Lehtimäki, Terho; Lewis, Cora E; Li, Huaixing; Li, Jin; Li-Gao, Ruifang; Lin, Honghuang; Lin, Keng-Hung; Lin, Li-An; Lin, Xu; Lind, Lars; Lindström, Jaana; Linneberg, Allan; Liu, Ching-Ti; Liu, Dajiang J; Liu, Yongmei; Lo, Ken Sin; Lophatananon, Artitaya; Lotery, Andrew J; Loukola, Anu; Luan, Jian'an; Lubitz, Steven A; Lyytikäinen, Leo-Pekka; Männistö, Satu; Marenne, Gaëlle; Mazul, Angela L; McCarthy, Mark I; McKean-Cowdin, Roberta; Medland, Sarah E; Meidtner, Karina; Milani, Lili; Mistry, Vanisha; Mitchell, Paul; Mohlke, Karen L; Moilanen, Leena; Moitry, Marie; Montgomery, Grant W; Mook-Kanamori, Dennis O; Moore, Carmel; Mori, Trevor A; Morris, Andrew D; Morris, Andrew P; Müller-Nurasyid, Martina; Munroe, Patricia B; Nalls, Mike A; Narisu, Narisu; Nelson, Christopher P; Neville, Matt; Nielsen, Sune F; Nikus, Kjell; Njølstad, Pål R; Nordestgaard, Børge G; Nyholt, Dale R; O'Connel, Jeffrey R; O’Donoghue, Michelle L.; Olde Loohuis, Loes M; Ophoff, Roel A; Owen, Katharine R; Packard, Chris J; Padmanabhan, Sandosh; Palmer, Colin NA; Palmer, Nicholette D; Pasterkamp, Gerard; Patel, Aniruddh P; Pattie, Alison; Pedersen, Oluf; Peissig, Peggy L; Peloso, Gina M; Pennell, Craig E; Perola, Markus; Perry, James A; Perry, John RB; Pers, Tune H; Person, Thomas N; Peters, Annette; Petersen, Eva RB; Peyser, Patricia A; Pirie, Ailith; Polasek, Ozren; Polderman, Tinca J; Puolijoki, Hannu; Raitakari, Olli T; Rasheed, Asif; Rauramaa, Rainer; Reilly, Dermot F; Renström, Frida; Rheinberger, Myriam; Ridker, Paul M; Rioux, John D; Rivas, Manuel A; Roberts, David J; Robertson, Neil R; Robino, Antonietta; Rolandsson, Olov; Rudan, Igor; Ruth, Katherine S; Saleheen, Danish; Salomaa, Veikko; Samani, Nilesh J; Sapkota, Yadav; Sattar, Naveed; Schoen, Robert E; Schreiner, Pamela J; Schulze, Matthias B; Scott, Robert A; Segura-Lepe, Marcelo P; Shah, Svati H; Sheu, Wayne H-H; Sim, Xueling; Slater, Andrew J; Small, Kerrin S; Smith, Albert Vernon; Southam, Lorraine; Spector, Timothy D; Speliotes, Elizabeth K; Starr, John M; Stefansson, Kari; Steinthorsdottir, Valgerdur; Stirrups, Kathleen E; Strauch, Konstantin; Stringham, Heather M; Stumvoll, Michael; Sun, Liang; Surendran, Praveen; Swift, Amy J; Tada, Hayato; Tansey, Katherine E; Tardif, Jean-Claude; Taylor, Kent D; Teumer, Alexander; Thompson, Deborah J; Thorleifsson, Gudmar; Thorsteinsdottir, Unnur; Thuesen, Betina H; Tönjes, Anke; Tromp, Gerard; Trompet, Stella; Tsafantakis, Emmanouil; Tuomilehto, Jaakko; Tybjaerg-Hansen, Anne; Tyrer, Jonathan P; Uher, Rudolf; Uitterlinden, André G; Uusitupa, Matti; van der Laan, Sander W; van Duijn, Cornelia M; van Leeuwen, Nienke; van Setten, Jessica; Vanhala, Mauno; Varbo, Anette; Varga, Tibor V; Varma, Rohit; Velez Edwards, Digna R; Vermeulen, Sita H; Veronesi, Giovanni; Vestergaard, Henrik; Vitart, Veronique; Vogt, Thomas F; Völker, Uwe; Vuckovic, Dragana; Wagenknecht, Lynne E; Walker, Mark; Wallentin, Lars; Wang, Feijie; Wang, Carol A; Wang, Shuai; Wang, Yiqin; Ware, Erin B; Wareham, Nicholas J; Warren, Helen R; Waterworth, Dawn M; Wessel, Jennifer; White, Harvey D; Willer, Cristen J; Wilson, James G; Witte, Daniel R; Wood, Andrew R; Wu, Ying; Yaghootkar, Hanieh; Yao, Jie; Yao, Pang; Yerges-Armstrong, Laura M; Young, Robin; Zeggini, Eleftheria; Zhan, Xiaowei; Zhang, Weihua; Zhao, Jing Hua; Zhao, Wei; Zhao, Wei; Zhou, Wei; Zondervan, Krina T; Rotter, Jerome I; Pospisilik, John A; Rivadeneira, Fernando; Borecki, Ingrid B; Deloukas, Panos; Frayling, Timothy M; Lettre, Guillaume; North, Kari E; Lindgren, Cecilia M; Hirschhorn, Joel N; Loos, Ruth JF

2018-01-01

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified >250 loci for body mass index (BMI), implicating pathways related to neuronal biology. Most GWAS loci represent clusters of common, non-coding variants from which pinpointing causal genes remains challenging. Here, we combined data from 718,734 individuals to discover rare and low-frequency (MAF<5%) coding variants associated with BMI. We identified 14 coding variants in 13 genes, of which eight in genes (ZBTB7B, ACHE, RAPGEF3, RAB21, ZFHX3, ENTPD6, ZFR2, ZNF169) newly implicated in human obesity, two (MC4R, KSR2) previously observed in extreme obesity, and two variants in GIPR. Effect sizes of rare variants are ~10 times larger than of common variants, with the largest effect observed in carriers of an MC4R stop-codon (p.Tyr35Ter, MAF=0.01%), weighing ~7kg more than non-carriers. Pathway analyses confirmed enrichment of neuronal genes and provide new evidence for adipocyte and energy expenditure biology, widening the potential of genetically-supported therapeutic targets to treat obesity. PMID:29273807

Exotic ferromagnetism in the two-dimensional quantum material C3N

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Wen-Cheng; Li, Wei; Liu, Xiaosong

2018-04-01

The search for and study of exotic quantum states in novel low-dimensional quantum materials have triggered extensive research in recent years. Here, we systematically study the electronic and magnetic structures in the newly discovered two-dimensional quantum material C3N within the framework of density functional theory. The calculations demonstrate that C3N is an indirect-band semiconductor with an energy gap of 0.38 eV, which is in good agreement with experimental observations. Interestingly, we find van Hove singularities located at energies near the Fermi level, which is half that of graphene. Thus, the Fermi energy easily approaches that of the singularities, driving the system to ferromagnetism, under charge carrier injection, such as electric field gating or hydrogen doping. These findings not only demonstrate that the emergence of magnetism stems from the itinerant electron mechanism rather than the effects of local magnetic impurities, but also open a new avenue to designing field-effect transistor devices for possible realization of an insulator-ferromagnet transition by tuning an external electric field.

Molecular pathways underlying inhibitory effect of antimicrobial peptide Nal-P-113 on bacteria biofilms formation of Porphyromonas gingivalis W83 by DNA microarray.

PubMed

Wang, Hong-Yan; Lin, Li; Tan, Li-Si; Yu, Hui-Yuan; Cheng, Jya-Wei; Pan, Ya-Ping

2017-02-17

Wound-related infection remains a major challenge for health professionals. One disadvantage in conventional antibiotics is their inability to penetrate biofilms, the main protective strategy for bacteria to evade irradiation. Previously, we have shown that synthetic antimicrobial peptides could inhibit bacterial biofilms formation. In this study, we first delineated how Nal-P-113, a novel antimicrobial peptide, exerted its inhibitory effects on Porphyromonas gingivalis W83 biofilms formation at a low concentration. Secondly, we performed gene expression profiling and validated that Nal-P-113 at a low dose significantly down-regulated genes related to mobile and extrachromosomal element functions, transport and binding proteins in Porphyromonas gingivalis W83. These findings suggest that Nal-P-113 at low dose is sufficient to inhibit the formation of biofilms although Porphyromonas gingivalis W83 may maintain its survival in the oral cavity. The newly discovered molecular pathways may add the knowledge of developing a new strategy to target bacterial infections in combination with current first-line treatment in periodontitis.

Therapeutic Innovations for Targeting Hepatoblastoma.

PubMed

Garnier, Agnès; Ilmer, Matthias; Kappler, Roland; Berger, Michael

2016-11-01

Hepatoblastoma is the most common pediatric liver tumor. Despite recent advances in treatment with surgery and chemotherapy, the prognosis in advanced stages remains poor. The neurokinin-1 receptor (NK1R) has recently been described to be pivotal in the development of cancer. Furthermore, overwhelming evidence now exists showing that pharmacological manipulation of NK1R can cause a robust anticancer effect. Consequently, NK1R antagonists, such as the clinical drug aprepitant, are under current investigation as future innovative anticancer agents. In that sense, new evidence suggests that NK1R is highly expressed in human hepatoblastoma and can be targeted to create a robust inhibiton of tumor growth in vivo and in vitro. The mechanisms behind this effect are only now being investigated but already reveal an arsenal of therapeutic possibilities. Our article describes the most recent developments in the field of therapeutic NK1R inhibition in cancer and focuses particularly on the newly discovered molecular mechanisms involved when targeting NK1R in hepatoblastoma. Copyright© 2016 International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. John G. Delinassios), All rights reserved.

Osteogenesis imperfecta: diagnosis and treatment.

PubMed

Palomo, Telma; Vilaça, Tatiane; Lazaretti-Castro, Marise

2017-12-01

Here we summarize the diagnosis of osteogenesis imperfecta, discuss newly discovered genes involved in osteogenesis imperfecta, and review the management of this disease in children and adults. Mutations in the two genes coding for collagen type I, COL1A1 and COL1A2, are the most common cause of osteogenesis imperfecta. In the past 10 years, defects in at least 17 other genes have been identified as responsible for osteogenesis imperfecta phenotypes, with either dominant or recessive transmission. Intravenous bisphosphonate infusions are the most widely used medical treatment. This has a marked effect on vertebra in growing children and can lead to vertebral reshaping after compression fractures. However, bisphosphonates are less effective for preventing long-bone fractures. At the moment, new therapies are under investigation. Despite advances in the diagnosis and treatment of osteogenesis imperfecta, more research is needed. Bisphosphonate treatment decreases long-bone fracture rates, but such fractures are still frequent. New antiresorptive and anabolic agents are being investigated but efficacy and safety of these drugs, especially in children, need to be better established before they can be used in clinical practice.

Group precipitation and age hardening of nanostructured Fe-based alloys with ultra-high strengths

DOE PAGES

Jiao, Z. B.; Luan, J. H.; Miller, M. K.; ...

2016-02-19

The precipitation of nanoparticles plays a key role in determining the properties of many structural materials, and the understanding of their formation and stabilization mechanisms has been a long standing interest in the material field. However, the critical issues involving the group precipitation of various nanoparticles and their cooperative hardening mechanism remain elusive in the newly discovered Fe-based alloys with nanostructures. Here we quantitatively elucidate the nucleation mechanism, evolution kinetics and hardening effects of the group-precipitated nanoparticles in the Fe-Cu-Ni-Al-based alloys by atom probe tomography together with both first-principles and thermodynamic calculations. Our results provide the compelling evidence for twomore » interesting but complex group precipitation pathways of nanoparticles, i.e., the Cu-rich and NiAl-based precipitations. Lastly, the co-existence of the two precipitation pathways plays a key role in age hardening kinetics and ultimately enhances the hardening response, as compared to the single particle type of strengthening, therefore providing an effective new approach for strengthening materials for structural applications.« less

Group precipitation and age hardening of nanostructured Fe-based alloys with ultra-high strengths

PubMed Central

Jiao, Z. B.; Luan, J. H.; Miller, M. K.; Yu, C. Y.; Liu, C. T.

2016-01-01

The precipitation of nanoparticles plays a key role in determining the properties of many structural materials, and the understanding of their formation and stabilization mechanisms has been a long standing interest in the material field. However, the critical issues involving the group precipitation of various nanoparticles and their cooperative hardening mechanism remain elusive in the newly discovered Fe-based alloys with nanostructures. Here we quantitatively elucidate the nucleation mechanism, evolution kinetics and hardening effects of the group-precipitated nanoparticles in the Fe-Cu-Ni-Al-based alloys by atom probe tomography together with both first-principles and thermodynamic calculations. Our results provide the compelling evidence for two interesting but complex group precipitation pathways of nanoparticles, i.e., the Cu-rich and NiAl-based precipitations. The co-existence of the two precipitation pathways plays a key role in age hardening kinetics and ultimately enhances the hardening response, as compared to the single particle type of strengthening, therefore providing an effective new approach for strengthening materials for structural applications. PMID:26892834

Epitope discovery in West Nile virus infection: Identification and immune recognition of viral epitopes.

PubMed

McMurtrey, Curtis P; Lelic, Alina; Piazza, Paolo; Chakrabarti, Ayan K; Yablonsky, Eric J; Wahl, Angela; Bardet, Wilfried; Eckerd, Annette; Cook, Robert L; Hess, Rachael; Buchli, Rico; Loeb, Mark; Rinaldo, Charles R; Bramson, Jonathan; Hildebrand, William H

2008-02-26

Cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) play an important role in the control and elimination of infection by West Nile virus (WNV), yet the class I human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-presented peptide epitopes that enable CTL recognition of WNV-infected cells remain uncharacterized. The goals of this work were first to discover the peptide epitopes that distinguish the class I HLA of WNV-infected cells and then to test the T cell reactivity of newly discovered WNV epitopes. To discover WNV-immune epitopes, class I HLA was harvested from WNV (NY99 strain)-infected and uninfected HeLa cells. Then peptide epitopes were eluted from affinity-purified HLA, and peptide epitopes from infected and uninfected cells were comparatively mapped by mass spectroscopy. Six virus-derived peptides from five different viral proteins (E, NS2b, NS3, NS4b, and NS5) were discovered as unique to HLA-A*0201 of infected cells, demonstrating that the peptides sampled by class I HLA are distributed widely throughout the WNV proteome. When tested with CTL from infected individuals, one dominant WNV target was apparent, two epitopes were subdominant, and three demonstrated little CTL reactivity. Finally, a sequence comparison of these epitopes with the hundreds of viral isolates shows that HLA-A*0201 presents epitopes derived from conserved regions of the virus. Detection and recovery from WNV infection are therefore functions of the ability of class I HLA molecules to reveal conserved WNV epitopes to an intact cellular immune system that subsequently recognizes infected cells.

Beyond AICA Riboside: In Search of New Specific AMP-activated Protein Kinase Activators

PubMed Central

Guigas, Bruno; Sakamoto, Kei; Taleux, Nellie; Reyna, Sara M.; Musi, Nicolas; Viollet, Benoit; Hue, Louis

2010-01-01

Summary 5-Aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide-1-β-d-ribofuranoside (AICA riboside) has been extensively used in vitro and in vivo to activate the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), a metabolic sensor involved in both cellular and whole body energy homeostasis. However, it has been recently highlighted that AICA riboside also exerts AMPK-independent effects, mainly on AMP-regulated enzymes and mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS), leading to the conclusion that new compounds with reduced off target effects are needed to specifically activate AMPK. Here, we review recent findings on newly discovered AMPK activators, notably on A-769662, a nonnucleoside compound from the thienopyridone family. We also report that A-769662 is able to activate AMPK and stimulate glucose uptake in both L6 cells and primary myotubes derived from human satellite cells. In addition, A-769662 increases AMPK activity and phosphorylation of its main downstream targets in primary cultured rat hepatocytes but, by contrast with AICA riboside, does neither affect mitochondrial OXPHOS nor change cellular AMP:ATP ratio. We conclude that A-769662 could be one of the new promising chemical agents to activate AMPK with limited AMPK-independent side effects. PMID:18798311

Colorectal cancer and the 7th revision of the TNM staging system: review of changes and suggestions for uniform pathologic reporting.

PubMed

Obrocea, F L; Sajin, Maria; Marinescu, Elena Cristina; Stoica, D

2011-01-01

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a neoplastic disease with a continuously growing incidence in Romania and throughout the world. Although the surgery remains the first line treatment for most of the cases, newly discovered targeted molecular therapies - effective for some patients, but with various side effects and significant financial burden for the national health systems - requires not only stratification of patients in prognostic groups but also evaluation of some non-anatomic factors with major impact on the prognosis and therapeutic strategy. The AJCC/UICC TNM staging system, in his 7th revision, effective for cases diagnosed on or after January 1, 2010, responds to these needs. On the other hand, the role of the pathologist is increasing in terms of workload and amount of information to be included in the pathology report in order to deliver a personalized diagnosis. There are concerns worldwide regarding relevance, validity and completeness of pathologic reporting of CRC in the absence of a uniform reporting format. Therefore, suggestions for a standardized pathology report of CRC are made, based on TNM 7 and recent, up-to-date conclusive published data.

Right away: A late, right-lateralized category effect complements an early, left-lateralized category effect in visual search.

PubMed

Constable, Merryn D; Becker, Stefanie I

2017-10-01

According to the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, learned semantic categories can influence early perceptual processes. A central finding in support of this view is the lateralized category effect-namely, the finding that categorically different colors (e.g., blue and green hues) can be discriminated faster than colors within the same color category (e.g., different hues of green), especially when they are presented in the right visual field. Because the right visual field projects to the left hemisphere, this finding has been popularly couched in terms of the left-lateralization of language. However, other studies have reported bilateral category effects, which has led some researchers to question the linguistic origins of the effect. Here we examined the time course of lateralized and bilateral category effects in the classical visual search paradigm by means of eyetracking and RT distribution analyses. Our results show a bilateral category effect in the manual responses, which is combined of an early, left-lateralized category effect and a later, right-lateralized category effect. The newly discovered late, right-lateralized category effect occurred only when observers had difficulty locating the target, indicating a specialization of the right hemisphere to find categorically different targets after an initial error. The finding that early and late stages of visual search show different lateralized category effects can explain a wide range of previously discrepant findings.

Merkel Cell Polyomavirus: A Newly Discovered Human Virus with Oncogenic Potential

PubMed Central

Spurgeon, Megan E.; Lambert, Paul F.

2012-01-01

A marked escalation in the rate of discovery of new types of human polyomavirus has occurred over the last five years largely owing to recent technological advances in their detection. Among the newly discovered viruses, Merkel Cell Polyomavirus (MCPyV or MCV) has gained the most attention due to its link with a rare human cancer. Infection with MCPyV is common in the human population, and the virus is detected in several anatomical locations, but most frequently in skin. Study of MCPyV molecular virology has been complicated by the lack of straightforward cell culture models, but recent in vitro studies are making strides towards understanding the virus life cycle, its cellular tropism, and mode of transmission. While MCPyV shares several traditional traits with other human polyomaviruses, the burst of research since its discovery reveals insight into a virus with many unique genetic and mechanistic features. The evidence for a causal link between MCPyV and the rare neuroendocrine cancer, Merkel Cell Carcinoma (MCC), is compelling. A majority of MCCs contain clonally integrated viral DNA, express viral T antigen transcripts and protein, and exhibit an addiction to the viral large T and small t antigen oncoproteins. The MCPyV large T antigen contains MCC tumor-specific mutations that ablate its replication capacity but preserve its oncogenic functions, and the small t antigen promotes an environment favorable for cap-dependent translation. The mechanisms of MCPyV-induced transformation have not been fully elucidated, but the likely etiological role of this new polyomavirus in human cancer provides a strong opportunity to expand knowledge of virus-host interactions and viral oncology. PMID:23217622

VLA Radio Observations of the HST Frontier Fields Cluster Abell 2744: The Discovery of New Radio Relics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pearce, C. J. J.; van Weeren, R. J.; Andrade-Santos, F.; Jones, C.; Forman, W. R.; Brüggen, M.; Bulbul, E.; Clarke, T. E.; Kraft, R. P.; Medezinski, E.; Mroczkowski, T.; Nonino, M.; Nulsen, P. E. J.; Randall, S. W.; Umetsu, K.

2017-08-01

Cluster mergers leave distinct signatures in the intracluster medium (ICM) in the form of shocks and diffuse cluster radio sources that provide evidence for the acceleration of relativistic particles. However, the physics of particle acceleration in the ICM is still not fully understood. Here we present new 1-4 GHz Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) and archival Chandra observations of the HST Frontier Fields Cluster Abell 2744. In our new VLA images, we detect the previously known ˜2.1 Mpc radio halo and ˜1.5 Mpc radio relic. We carry out a radio spectral analysis from which we determine the relic’s injection spectral index to be {α }{inj}=-1.12+/- 0.19. This corresponds to a shock Mach number of { M }={2.05}-0.19+0.31 under the assumption of diffusive shock acceleration. We also find evidence for spectral steepening in the post-shock region. We do not find evidence for a significant correlation between the radio halo’s spectral index and ICM temperature. In addition, we observe three new polarized diffuse sources and determine two of these to be newly discovered giant radio relics. These two relics are located in the southeastern and northwestern outskirts of the cluster. The corresponding integrated spectral indices measure -1.81 ± 0.26 and -0.63 ± 0.21 for the SE and NW relics, respectively. From an X-ray surface brightness profile we also detect a possible density jump of R={1.39}-0.22+0.34 co-located with the newly discovered SE relic. This density jump would correspond to a shock front Mach number of { M }={1.26}-0.15+0.25.

A new species of smooth skink (Squamata: Scincidae: Scincella) from Cambodia.

PubMed

Neang, Thy; Chan, Somaly; Poyarkov, Nikolay A

2018-05-18

Based on morphological and genetic evidence we evaluated the taxonomic status of a newly discovered forest-dwelling population of skink (genus Scincella) from the Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary, Mondulkiri Province, Cambodia. From phylogenetic analysis of a 668-bp fragment of the mtDNA COI and diagnostic morphological characters we allocate the newly discovered population to the Scincella reevesii-S. rufocaudata species complex and describe it as Scincella nigrofasciata sp. nov. The new skink species can be distinguished from all other Southeast Asian congeners by the following combination of morphological characters: snout-vent length (SVL) 40.0-52.6 mm; relative tail length (TaL/SVL ratio) 1.25-1.94; prefrontals in broad contact; infralabials 6; primary temporals 2; relative forelimb length (FIL/SVL ratio) 0.20-0.22; relative hindlimb length (HIL/SVL ratio) 0.30-0.33; relative forearm length (FoL/SVL ratio) 0.14-0.16; adpressed forelimbs and hind limbs either overlapping (0.4-2.2 mm) or separated (1.9-2.3 mm); midbody scale rows 32-33, paravertebral scales 69-74, vertebral scales 65-69; dorsal scales between dorsolateral stripes 8; comparatively slender fingers and toes, subdigital lamellae under fourth toe 15-17; dark discontinuous regular dorsal stripes 5-7; distinct black dorsolateral stripes, narrowing to lateral sides and extending to 52%-86% of total tail length. We provide additional information on the holotype of Scincella rufocaudata (Darevsky & Nguyen, 1983), and provide evidence for the species status of Scincella rupicola. Our discovery brings the number of Scincella species in Cambodia to five and emphasizes the incompleteness of knowledge on the herpetofaunal diversity of this country.

Identification of Cepheid Variables in ASAS Data (Poster abstract)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johnson, J.; Larsen, K.

2014-06-01

(Abstract only) Cepheid variables are well-known to be important to astronomers, as their period-luminosity relationship is used to determine the distances to galaxies. The unambiguous identification of newly discovered Cepheid variables in large photometric data sets is therefore of significance. A data set of 3,548 candidate Cepheid variable stars in the ASAS data was provided by Patrick Wils (through Doug Welch). A computer program had originally identified these candidates; however, Wils investigated a small subset of the data by hand and discovered that the vast majority of these stars were misidentified. The most common misidentification was of BY Draconis stars (rotating spotted K and M dwarfs). In a companion piece, Swenton and Larsen sought out the most likely Cepheid candidates in the data; the work discussed here is instead focused on looking at stars that had properties that were clearly different from Cepheids, more specifically properties likely to be seen in BY Dra stars. We are sorting the spreadsheet stars by characteristics in order to find as many BY Dra variables as possible (since they seem to be the most commonly misidentified stars). These characteristics include newly available infrared photometry (2MASS), proper motion (PPMXL), and X-Ray emission (ROTSE) data (for which we received helpful guidance from Sebastian Otero) as well as VSX information. The first 103 stars to be studied are those with the smallest range in magnitude (less than or equal to 0.1). An analysis of their light curves and other available data is being undertaken in order to determine whether or not they are indeed BY Dra-type variables. In doing so the goal is to be able to submit and publish the correct identifications for these stars to the International Variable Star Index (VSX) and the JAAVSO.

Phylogenetic fragrance patterns in Nicotiana sections Alatae and Suaveolentes.

PubMed

Raguso, Robert A; Schlumpberger, Boris O; Kaczorowski, Rainee L; Holtsford, Timothy P

2006-09-01

We analyzed floral volatiles from eight tobacco species (Nicotiana; Solanaceae) including newly discovered Brazilian taxa (Nicotiana mutabilis and "Rastroensis") in section Alatae. Eighty-four compounds were found, including mono- and sesquiterpenoids, nitrogenous compounds, benzenoid and aliphatic alcohols, aldehydes and esters. Floral scent from recent accessions of Nicotiana alata, Nicotiana bonariensis and Nicotiana langsdorffii differed from previously published data, suggesting intraspecific variation in scent composition at the level of biosynthetic class. Newly discovered taxa in Alatae, like their relatives, emit large amounts of 1,8-cineole and smaller amounts of monoterpenes on a nocturnal rhythm, constituting a chemical synapomorphy for this lineage. Fragrance data from three species of Nicotiana sect. Suaveolentes, the sister group of Alatae, (two Australian species: N. cavicola, N. ingulba; one African species: N. africana), were compared to previously reported data from their close relative, N. suaveolens. Like N. suaveolens, N. cavicola and N. ingulba emit fragrances dominated by benzenoids and phenylpropanoids, whereas the flowers of N. africana lacked a distinct floral scent and instead emitted only small amounts of an aliphatic methyl ester from foliage. Interestingly, this ester also is emitted from foliage of N. longiflora and N. plumbaginifolia (both in section Alatae s.l.), which share a common ancestor with N. africana. This result, combined with the synapomorphic pattern of 1,8 cineole emission in Alatae s.s., suggests that phylogenetic signal explains a major component of fragrance composition among tobacco species in sections Alatae and Suaveolentes. At the intraspecific level, interpopulational scent variation is widespread in sect. Alatae, and may reflect edaphic specialization, introgression, local pollinator shifts, genetic drift or artificial selection in cultivation. Further studies with genetically and geographically well-defined populations are needed to distinguish between these possibilities.

The Genetic Architecture of Coronary Artery Disease: Current Knowledge and Future Opportunities

PubMed Central

Hartiala, Jaana; Schwartzman, William S.; Gabbay, Julian; Ghazalpour, Anatole; Bennett, Brian J.; Allayee, Hooman

2018-01-01

Purpose of review We provide an overview of our current understanding of the genetic architecture of coronary artery disease (CAD)and discuss areas of research that provide excellent opportunities for further exploration. Recent findings Large-scale studies in human populations, coupled with rapid advances in genetic technologies over the last decade, have clearly established the association of common genetic variation with risk of CAD. However, the effect sizes of the susceptibility alleles are for the most part modest and collectively explain only a small fraction of the overall heritability. By comparison, evidence that rare variants make a substantial contribution to risk of CAD has been somewhat disappointing thus far, suggesting that other biological mechanisms have yet to be discovered. Emerging data suggests that novel pathways involved in the development of CAD can be identified through complementary and integrative systems genetics strategies in mice or humans. There is also convincing evidence that gut bacteria play a previously unrecognized role in the development of CAD, particularly through metabolism of certain dietary nutrients that lead to proatherogenic metabolites in the circulation. Summary A major effort is now underway to functionally understand the newly discovered genetic and biological associations for CAD, which could lead to the development of potentially novel therapeutic strategies. Other important areas of investigation for understanding the pathophysiology of CAD, including epistatic interactions between genes or with either sex and environmental factors, have not been studied on a broad scope and represent additional opportunities for future studies. PMID:28130654

Perspective and potential of smart optical materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Choi, Sang H.; Duzik, Adam J.; Kim, Hyun-Jung; Park, Yeonjoon; Kim, Jaehwan; Ko, Hyun-U.; Kim, Hyun-Chan; Yun, Sungryul; Kyung, Ki-Uk

2017-09-01

The increasing requirements of hyperspectral imaging optics, electro/photo-chromic materials, negative refractive index metamaterial optics, and miniaturized optical components from micro-scale to quantum-scale optics have all contributed to new features and advancements in optics technology. Development of multifunctional capable optics has pushed the boundaries of optics into new fields that require new disciplines and materials to maximize the potential benefits. The purpose of this study is to understand and show the fundamental materials and fabrication technology for field-controlled spectrally active optics (referred to as smart optics) that are essential for future industrial, scientific, military, and space applications, such as membrane optics, filters, windows for sensors and probes, telescopes, spectroscopes, cameras, light valves, light switches, and flat-panel displays. The proposed smart optics are based on the Stark and Zeeman effects in materials tailored with quantum dot arrays and thin films made from readily polarizable materials via ferroelectricity or ferromagnetism. Bound excitonic states of organic crystals are also capable of optical adaptability, tunability, and reconfigurability. To show the benefits of smart optics, this paper reviews spectral characteristics of smart optical materials and device technology. Experiments testing the quantum-confined Stark effect, arising from rare earth element doping effects in semiconductors, and applied electric field effects on spectral and refractive index are discussed. Other bulk and dopant materials were also discovered to have the same aspect of shifts in spectrum and refractive index. Other efforts focus on materials for creating field-controlled spectrally smart active optics on a selected spectral range. Surface plasmon polariton transmission of light through apertures is also discussed, along with potential applications. New breakthroughs in micro scale multiple zone plate optics as a micro convex lens are reviewed, along with the newly discovered pseudo-focal point not predicted with conventional optics modeling. Micron-sized solid state beam scanner chips for laser waveguides are reviewed as well.

New Extra-Solar Planet - thermal state and structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Valencia, D.; O'Connell, R. J.; Sasselov, D.

2005-12-01

For the last decade astronomers have found more than 160 planets orbiting stars other than our sun. All but three of them are gaseous planets. The variety of characteristics of these newly discovered planets opens a new field with questions about planetary formation, structure and evolution, as well as the possibility of existence of life beyond our solar system. Planetary formation models suggested the existence of terrestrial extra-solar planets with masses up to 10 times the mass of the Earth. In June of 2005 the first Super-Earth was discovered orbiting a star 15 light years away with a mass that is about 7.5 times the mass of the Earth and a period of 1.94 days. The composition of this planet is unknown but probably has an Earth-like composition. Astronomers believe the surface temperature ranges between ~500 K and ~700 K. Liquid water can exist at temperatures above T=400K at high pressures (above 10 MPa) allowing for the possibility of a water layer on top of a rocky core. Our work focuses on determining scaling relationships with mass, internal structure parameters and thermal state. We explore the effects of a water/icy layer above a rocky core as well as other types of compositions in determining the internal structure. This water layer may convect causing the planet to have two layer convection. We explore the effects of a layer convection mode versus whole mantle convection for a Super-Earth. Due to the closeness of this planet to its parent star we can expect substantial tidal heating that can affect the thermal state of this planet. We explore the effects of tidal heating in the internal structure of a planet. Differences in composition have much larger effects in the mass-radius relationship than the uncertainties in thermodynamic parameters of the minerals composing the planet.

Parallaxes of Southern Extremely Cool Objects (PARSEC). II. Spectroscopic Follow-up and Parallaxes of 52 Targets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marocco, F.; Andrei, A. H.; Smart, R. L.; Jones, H. R. A.; Pinfield, D. J.; Day-Jones, A. C.; Clarke, J. R. A.; Sozzetti, A.; Lucas, P. W.; Bucciarelli, B.; Penna, J. L.

2013-12-01

We present near-infrared spectroscopy for 52 ultracool dwarfs, including two newly discovered late-M dwarfs, one new late-M subdwarf candidate, three new L, and four new T dwarfs. We also present parallaxes and proper motions for 21 of them. Four of the targets presented here have previous parallax measurements, while all the others are new values. This allow us to populate further the spectral sequence at early types (L0-L4). Combining the astrometric parameters with the new near-infrared spectroscopy presented here, we are able to investigate further the nature of some of the objects. In particular, we find that the peculiar blue L1 dwarf SDSS J133148.92-011651.4 is a metal-poor object, likely a member of the galactic thick disk. We discover a new M subdwarf candidate, 2MASS J20115649-6201127. We confirm the low-gravity nature of EROS-MP J0032-4405, DENIS-P J035726.9-441730, and 2MASS J22134491-2136079. We present two new metal-poor dwarfs: the L4pec 2MASS J19285196-4356256 and the M7pec SIPS2346-5928. We also determine the effective temperature and bolometric luminosity of the 21 targets with astrometric measurements, and we obtain a new polynomial relation between effective temperature and near-infrared spectral type. The new fit suggests a flattening of the sequence at the transition between M and L spectral types. This could be an effect of dust formation, which causes a more rapid evolution of the spectral features as a function of the effective temperature. Based on observations obtained at the Southern Astrophysical Research (SOAR) telescope, which is a joint project of the Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia, e Inovação (MCTI) da República Federativa do Brasil, the U.S. National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO), the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC), and Michigan State University (MSU).

Prenatal cigarette smoke exposure: Pregnancy outcome and gestational changes in plasma nicotine concentration, hematocrit, and carboxyhemoglobin in a newly standardized rat model

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

Farkas, Svetlana; Hussein, Jabeen; Ariano, Robert E.

Epidemiological studies support an association between perinatal cigarette smoke (CS) exposure and a number of severe pre- and postnatal complications. However, the mechanisms through which CS enhances such risks largely remain unknown. One of the reasons for our inability to discover such mechanisms has been the unavailability of a clinically relevant and physiologically concordant animal model. A number of studies have previously used nicotine (Nic) as surrogate for CS. We sought to (1) establish the amount of CS exposure to achieve plasma Nic concentrations observed among moderate to heavy smokers (20-60 ng/ml) (2) investigate the temporal changes in plasma Nicmore » concentrations, carboxyhemoglobin, and hematocrit with advancing pregnancy, and (3) elucidate the effects of CS exposure on pregnancy outcome. Pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to various doses of CS or room air (Sham) from days 6 to 21 of gestation. Exposure to 6000 ml/day of CS led to very high plasma Nic concentrations and increased maternal and fetal mortality (P < 0.001). The plasma Nic concentrations remained higher than those observed in moderate smokers until the CS dose was reduced to 1000 ml/day and showed dose-dependent temporal changes with advancing gestational age. Significant increases in carboxyhemoglobin and hematocrit were observed in the CS group as compared with the Sham group (P < 0.001). In addition, prenatally CS exposed fetuses had lower birth weight as compared with the Sham group (P = 0.04). Our current study establishes a newly standardized and physiologically relevant model to investigate the mechanisms of CS-mediated adverse effects during the critical period of fetal development.« less

Supernova remnants in M33: X-ray properties as observed by XMM-Newton

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garofali, Kristen; Williams, Benjamin F.; Plucinsky, Paul P.; Gaetz, Terrance J.; Wold, Brian; Haberl, Frank; Long, Knox S.; Blair, William P.; Pannuti, Thomas G.; Winkler, P. Frank; Gross, Jacob

2017-11-01

We have carried out a study of the X-ray properties of the supernova remnant (SNR) population in M33 with XMM-Newton, comprising deep observations of eight fields in M33 covering all of the area within the D25 contours, and with a typical luminosity of 7.1 × 1034 erg s-1 (0.2-2.0 keV). Here, we report our work to characterize the X-ray properties of the previously identified SNRs in M33, as well as our search for new X-ray detected SNRs. With our deep observations and large field of view we have detected 105 SNRs at the 3σ level, of which 54 SNRs are newly detected in X-rays, and three are newly discovered SNRs. Combining XMM-Newton data with deep Chandra survey data allows detailed spectral fitting of 15 SNRs, for which we have measured temperatures, ionization time-scales and individual abundances. This large sample of SNRs allows us to construct an X-ray luminosity function, and compare its shape to luminosity functions from host galaxies of differing metallicities and star formation rates to look for environmental effects on SNR properties. We conclude that while metallicity may play a role in SNR population characteristics, differing star formation histories on short time-scales, and small-scale environmental effects appear to cause more significant differences between X-ray luminosity distributions. In addition, we analyse the X-ray detectability of SNRs, and find that in M33 SNRs with higher [S II]/H α ratios, as well as those with smaller galactocentric distances, are more detectable in X-rays.

Etiology of AIDS: biological and biochemical characteristics of HTLV-III.

PubMed

Markham, P D; Shaw, G M; Salahuddin, S Z; Hahn, B; Sarngadharan, M G; Gallo, R C

1985-01-01

The newly identified human HTLV-III virus, the etiologic agent for AIDS, shares many of the biological and physicochemical properties common to a family of retroviruses named human T-cell leukemia (lymphotropic) viruses, or HTLV. Because of the similarities, and because of the uniform nomenclature for human T-cell leukemia (lymphotropic) viruses adopted at the first Cold Spring Harbor Meeting on HTLV (19, 79), this newly discovered virus associated with AIDS as HTLV-III was named HTLV-III. Other investigators making independent isolations of virus have suggested naming the virus lymphadenopathy virus or LAV (3, 16), immunodeficiency associated virus or IADV (48), AIDS-related virus (41). Immunological and nucleic acid comparison has now demonstrated that these viruses are, not surprisingly, very similar to HTLV-III (55, 63, 78). In view of the wide range of disease manifestations caused by the virus, and previous discussions concerning a uniform nomenclature for human T-lymphotropic retroviruses, it would seem ill-advised to restrict the name of this virus to one clinical manifestation of one disease. The frequent isolation of HTLV-III from patients with AIDS and ARC, the detection of antibodies specific for HTLV-III in nearly all patients with these diseases and in a high proportion of individuals at risk, and finally its effect on cells in vitro, leaves little doubt that HTLV-III is causatively involved in the development of these diseases. This etiologic association is further strengthened by the detection of HTLV-III infection in many instances where a direct cause-and-effect association can be made, e.g., hemophiliacs and children with AIDS, and blood from HTLV-III infected donors and the otherwise normal recipients of this blood who subsequently develop AIDS.

Vascular calcification: When should we interfere in chronic kidney disease patients and how?

PubMed Central

Sharaf El Din, Usama Abdel Azim; Salem, Mona Mansour; Abdulazim, Dina Ossama

2016-01-01

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients are endangered with the highest mortality rate compared to other chronic diseases. Cardiovascular events account for up to 60% of the fatalities. Cardiovascular calcifications affect most of the CKD patients. Most of this calcification is related to disturbed renal phosphate handling. Fibroblast growth factor 23 and klotho deficiency were incriminated in the pathogenesis of vascular calcification through different mechanisms including their effects on endothelium and arterial wall smooth muscle cells. In addition, deficient klotho gene expression, a constant feature of CKD, promotes vascular pathology and shares in progression of the CKD. The role of gut in the etio-pathogenesis of systemic inflammation and vascular calcification is a newly discovered mechanism. This review will cover the medical history, prevalence, pathogenesis, clinical relevance, different tools used to diagnose, the ideal timing to prevent or to withhold the progression of vascular calcification and the different medications and medical procedures that can help to prolong the survival of CKD patients. PMID:27648404

OUTCOMES AND DURATION OF TIDAL EVOLUTION IN A STAR-PLANET-MOON SYSTEM

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

Sasaki, Takashi; Barnes, Jason W.; O'Brien, David P., E-mail: tsasaki@vandals.uidaho.edu, E-mail: jwbarnes@uidaho.edu, E-mail: obrien@psi.edu

2012-07-20

We formulated tidal decay lifetimes for hypothetical moons orbiting extrasolar planets with both lunar and stellar tides. Previous works neglected the effect of lunar tides on planet rotation, and are therefore applicable only to systems in which the moon's mass is much less than that of the planet. This work, in contrast, can be applied to the relatively large moons that might be detected around newly discovered Neptune-mass and super-Earth planets. We conclude that moons are more stable when the planet/moon systems are further from the parent star, the planets are heavier, or the parent stars are lighter. Inclusion ofmore » lunar tides allows for significantly longer lifetimes for a massive moon relative to prior formulations. We expect that the semimajor axis of the planet hosting the first detected exomoon around a G-type star is 0.4-0.6 AU and is 0.2-0.4 AU for an M-type star.« less

Depressive Symptoms, Falls, and Fear of Falling in Old Korean Adults: The Korean Longitudinal Study on Health and Aging (KLoSHA).

PubMed

Park, Y; Paik, N-J; Kim, K W; Jang, H-C; Lim, J-Y

2017-01-01

Fall is a common cause of disability and death in old adults, and much research has been focused on identifying risk factors and developing preventive measures. Yet the majority of preceding research has been focused on physical performance. This study aims to evaluate the association between fall and depressive symptoms in community-dwelling elderly. Cross-sectional data of 431 men and 546 women was collected from old Korean adults living in Seongnam, Korea. Geriatric fall assessment was conducted by self-report questionnaires. Depressive symptoms were assessed by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. Results indicated that depressive symptoms were associated with both fall and fear of falling in old adults. A clear gender difference was newly discovered, as depression played a stronger role in women. These results imply that clinicians should consider the negative affect of geriatric patients when assessing fall risk. Also, measures against depression might be effective in reducing falls.

Indirect handle on the down-quark Yukawa coupling.

PubMed

Goertz, Florian

2014-12-31

To measure the Yukawa couplings of the up and down quarks, Yu,d, seems to be far beyond the capabilities of current and (near) future experiments in particle physics. By performing a general analysis of the potential misalignment between quark masses and Yukawa couplings, we derive predictions for the magnitude of induced flavor-changing neutral currents (FCNCs), depending on the shift in the physical Yukawa coupling of first-generation quarks. We find that a change of more than 50% in Yd would generically result in ds transitions in conflict with kaon physics. This could already be seen as evidence for a nonvanishing direct coupling of the down quark to the newly discovered Higgs boson. The nonobservation of certain--already well-constrained--processes is thus turned into a powerful indirect measure of otherwise basically unaccessible physical parameters of the effective standard model. Similarly, improvements in limits on FCNCs in the up-type quark sector can lead to valuable information on Yu.

Transformative occupational therapy: We are wired to be transformers.

PubMed

Dubouloz, Claire-Jehanne

2014-10-01

Transformative learning involves critical self-reflection as the motor for transforming values, beliefs, knowledge, and feelings and discovering the new meaning of daily life following a catastrophic injury or illness. Transformation has been conceptualized in various disciplines as a transcendent experience, rebirth process, and meaning-making process and within occupational therapy as a meaning perspective process. This Muriel Driver lecture explores the concept of transformation and presents the newly developed Meaning Perspectives Transformation model, constructed from research conducted with several different rehabilitation client groups. The model is characterized by three phases: trigger, changing, and outcomes. A client's critical self-reflection acts as a catalyst for moving between the phases and is represented in the model as a moment of readiness for change leading to the development of alternative ways of performing. The Meaning Perspectives Transformation model provides a tool for being an effective occupational therapist, encouraging therapists to listen closely to their clients to identify their weakening and emerging meaning perspectives and enable their occupational evolution and transformation.

Inter-allotropic transformations in the heterogeneous carbon nanotube networks.

PubMed

Jung, Hyun Young; Jung, Sung Mi; Kim, Dong Won; Jung, Yung Joon

2017-01-19

The allotropic transformations of carbon provide an immense technological interest for tailoring the desired molecular structures in the scalable nanoelectronic devices. Herein, we explore the effects of morphology and geometric alignment of the nanotubes for the re-engineering of carbon bonds in the heterogeneous carbon nanotube (CNT) networks. By applying alternating voltage pulses and electrical forces, the single-walled CNTs in networks were predominantly transformed into other predetermined sp 2 carbon structures (multi-walled CNTs and multi-layered graphitic nanoribbons), showing a larger intensity in a coalescence-induced mode of Raman spectra with the increasing channel width. Moreover, the transformed networks have a newly discovered sp 2 -sp 3 hybrid nanostructures in accordance with the alignment. The sp 3 carbon structures at the small channel are controlled, such that they contain up to about 29.4% networks. This study provides a controllable method for specific types of inter-allotropic transformations/hybridizations, which opens up the further possibility for the engineering of nanocarbon allotropes in the robust large-scale network-based devices.

Hawkmoths evaluate scenting flowers with the tip of their proboscis

PubMed Central

Haverkamp, Alexander; Yon, Felipe; Keesey, Ian W; Mißbach, Christine; Koenig, Christopher; Hansson, Bill S; Baldwin, Ian T

2016-01-01

Pollination by insects is essential to many ecosystems. Previously, we have shown that floral scent is important to mediate pollen transfer between plants (Kessler et al., 2015). Yet, the mechanisms by which pollinators evaluate volatiles of single flowers remained unclear. Here, Nicotiana attenuata plants, in which floral volatiles have been genetically silenced and its hawkmoth pollinator, Manduca sexta, were used in semi-natural tent and wind-tunnel assays to explore the function of floral scent. We found that floral scent functions to increase the fitness of individual flowers not only by increasing detectability but also by enhancing the pollinator's foraging efforts. Combining proboscis choice tests with neurophysiological, anatomical and molecular analyses we show that this effect is governed by newly discovered olfactory neurons on the tip of the moth's proboscis. With the tip of their tongue, pollinators assess the advertisement of individual flowers, an ability essential for maintaining this important ecosystem service. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.15039.001 PMID:27146894

Implications of Stellar Feedback for Dynamical Modeling of the Milky Way and Dwarf Galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wetzel, Andrew

2018-04-01

I will present recent results on dynamical modeling of stellar populations from the FIRE cosmological zoom-in baryonic simulations of Milky Way-like and dwarf galaxies. First, I will discuss the dynamical formation of the Milky Way, including the origin of thin+thick stellar disk morphology. I also will discuss the curious origin of metal-rich stars on halo-like orbits near the Sun, as recently measured by Gaia, with new insights from FIRE simulations on stellar radial migration/heating. Next, I will discuss role of stellar feedback in generating non-equilibrium fluctuations of the gravitational potential in low-mass 'dwarf' galaxies, which can explain the origin of cores in their dark-matter density profiles. In particular, we predict significant observable effects on stellar dynamics, including radial migration, size fluctuations, and population gradients, which can provide observational tests of feedback-driven core formation. Finally, this scenario can explain the formation of newly discovered 'ultra-diffuse' galaxies.

Tidal Interaction among Red Giants Close Binary Systems in APOGEE Database

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Meng; Arras, Phil; Majewski, Steven R.; Troup, Nicholas William; Weinberg, Nevin N.

2017-01-01

Motivated by the newly discovered close binary systems in the Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE-1), the tidal evolution of binaries containing a red giant branch (RGB) star with a stellar or substellar companion was investigated. The tide raised by the companion in the RGB star leads to exchange of angular momentum between the orbit and the stellar spin, causing the orbit to contract. The tidal dissipation rate is computed using turbulent viscosity acting on the equilibrium tidal flow, where careful attention is paid to the effects of reduced viscosity for close-in companions. Evolutionary models for the RGB stars, from the zero-age main sequence to the present, were acquired from the MESA code. "Standard" turbulent viscosity gives rise to such a large orbital decay that many observed systems have decay times much shorter than the RGB evolution time. Several theories for "reduced" turbulent viscosity are investigated, and reduce the number of systems with uncomfortably short decay times.

Exploration of Novel Botanical Insecticide Leads: Synthesis and Insecticidal Activity of β-Dihydroagarofuran Derivatives.

PubMed

Zhao, Ximei; Xi, Xin; Hu, Zhan; Wu, Wenjun; Zhang, Jiwen

2016-02-24

The discovery of novel leads and new mechanisms of action is of vital significance to the development of pesticides. To explore lead compounds for botanical insecticides, 77 β-dihydroagarofuran derivatives were designed and synthesized. Their structures were mainly confirmed by (1)H NMR, (13)C NMR, DEPT-135°, IR, MS, and HRMS. Their insecticidal activity was evaluated against the third-instar larvae of Mythimna separata Walker, and the results indicated that, of these derivatives, eight exhibited more promising insecticidal activity than the positive control, celangulin-V. Particularly, compounds 5.7, 6.6, and 6.7 showed LD50 values of 37.9, 85.1, and 21.1 μg/g, respectively, which were much lower than that of celangulin-V (327.6 μg/g). These results illustrated that β-dihydroagarofuran ketal derivatives can be promising lead compounds for developing novel mechanism-based and highly effective botanical insecticides. Moreover, some newly discovered structure-activity relationships are discussed, which may provide some important guidance for insecticide development.

Synthesis and in vivo antimalarial activity of novel naphthoquine derivatives with linear/cyclic structured pendants.

PubMed

Tang, Ling; Bei, Zhuchun; Song, Yabin; Xu, Likun; Wang, Hong; Zhang, Dongna; Dou, Yuanyuan; Lv, Kai; Wang, Hongquan

2017-07-01

Naphthoquine (NQ) was discovered by our institute as an antimalarial candidate in 1980s, and currently employed as an artemisinin-based combination therapy partner drug. Resistance to NQ was found in mouse model in laboratory, and might emerge in future as widely used. We herein report the design and synthesis of NQ derivatives by replacing t-butyl moiety with linear/cyclic structured pendants. All the target compounds 6a-l and intermediates 5a-h were tested for their in vivo antimalarial activity against Plasmodium berghei K173 strain in mice. Compounds 6a and 6j were found to have a comparable or slightly more potent activity (the 50% effective dose [ED 50 ], which is required to decrease parasitemia by 50%: 0.38-0.43 mg/kg) than NQ (ED 50 : 0.48 mg/kg). The newly designed compounds 6a and 6j might be promising antimalarial candidates for further research.

Drosophila SLC22A transporter is a memory suppressor gene that influences cholinergic neurotransmission to the mushroom bodies

PubMed Central

Gai, Yunchao; Liu, Ze; Cervantes-Sandoval, Isaac; Davis, Ronald L.

2016-01-01

SUMMARY The mechanisms that constrain memory formation are of special interest because they provide insights into the brain’s memory management systems and potential avenues for correcting cognitive disorders. RNAi knockdown in the Drosophila mushroom body neurons (MBn) of a newly discovered memory suppressor gene, Solute Carrier DmSLC22A, a member of the organic cation transporter family, enhances olfactory memory expression, while overexpression inhibits it. The protein localizes to the dendrites of the MBn, surrounding the presynaptic terminals of cholinergic afferent fibers from projection neurons (Pn). Cell-based expression assays show that this plasma membrane protein transports cholinergic compounds with the highest affinity among several in vitro substrates. Feeding flies choline or inhibiting acetylcholinesterase in Pn enhances memory; an effect blocked by overexpression of the transporter in the MBn. The data argue that DmSLC22A is a memory suppressor protein that limits memory formation by helping to terminate cholinergic neurotransmission at the Pn:MBn synapse. PMID:27146270

A high-frequency survey of the southern Galactic plane for pulsars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnston, Simon; Lyne, A. G.; Manchester, R. N.; Kniffen, D. A.; D'Amico, N.; Lim, J.; Ashworth, M.

1992-01-01

Results of an HF survey designed to detect young, distant, and short-period pulsars are presented. The survey detected a total of 100 pulsars, 46 of which were previously unknown. The periods of the newly discovered pulsars range between 47 ms and 2.5 ms. One of the new discoveries, PSR 1259-63, is a member of a long-period binary system. At least three of the pulsars have ages less than 30,000 yr, bringing the total number of such pulsars to 12. The majority of the new discoveries are distant objects with high dispersion measures, which are difficult to detect at low frequencies. This demonstrates that the survey has reduced the severe selection effects of pulse scattering, high Galactic background temperature, and dispersion broadening, which hamper the detection of such pulsars at low radio frequencies. The pulsar distribution in the southern Galaxy is found to extend much further from the Galactic center than that in the north, probably due to two prominent spiral arms in the southern Galaxy.

American pikas (Ochotona princeps) in northwestern Nevada: A newly discovered population at a low-elevation site

USGS Publications Warehouse

Beever, E.A.; Wilkening, J.L.; McIvor, D.E.; Weber, S.S.; Brussard, P.F.

2008-01-01

The central tenet of island biogeography theory - that species assemblages on islands are functions of island area, isolation from mainlands, and vicariance - has been altered by the demonstrable effects that rapid climate change is imposing on insular faunas, at least in isolated mountaintops. Although populations of American pikas (Ochotona princeps) continue to suffer extirpations, and although the lower bounds of the pika's elevational distribution are shifting upslope across the Great Basin, we report here on the new discovery of a low-elevation population of pikas in a mountain range from which they had not been reported previously. This discovery, particularly in the context of relatively rapid ecological change, highlights the importance of seeking out original sources of information and performing spatially extensive fieldwork. Results presented here further illustrate that although thermal influences appear to be the single strongest determinant of pika distribution currently, such influences interact with a number of other factors to determine persistence.

Dynamics of exoplanetary systems, links to their habitability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bolmont, E.; Raymond, S. N.; Selsis, F.

2014-12-01

Our knowledge of planets' orbital dynamics, which was based on Solar System studies, has been challenged by the diversity of exoplanetary systems. Around cool and ultra cool dwarfs, the influence of tides on the orbital and spin evolution of planets can strongly affect their climate and their capacity to host surface liquid water. We illustrate the role of tides and dynamics with the extreme case of planets orbiting around brown dwarfs. In multiple planet systems, the eccentricity is excited by planet-planet interactions. Planets are therefore heated up from the inside by the tidally-induced friction. This process can heat a habitable zone planet to such a level that surface liquid water cannot exist. We also talk about the newly discovered potentially habitable Earth-sized planet Kepler-186f. Given the poorly estimated age of the system, the planet could still be evolving towards synchronization and have a high obliquity or be pseudo-synchronized with a zero obliquity. These two configurations would have a different effect on the climate of this planet.

Conductance modulation in Weyl semimetals with tilted energy dispersion without a band gap

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yesilyurt, Can; Siu, Zhuo Bin; Tan, Seng Ghee; Liang, Gengchiau; Jalil, Mansoor B. A.

2017-06-01

We investigate the tunneling conductance of Weyl semimetal with tilted energy dispersion by considering electron transmission through a p-n-p junction with one-dimensional electric and magnetic barriers. In the presence of both electric and magnetic barriers, we found that a large conductance gap can be produced with the aid of tilted energy dispersion without a band gap. The origin of this effect is the shift of the electron wave-vector at barrier boundaries caused by (i) the pseudo-magnetic field induced by electrical potential, i.e., a newly discovered feature that is only possible in the materials possessing tilted energy dispersion, (ii) the real magnetic field induced by a ferromagnetic layer deposited on the top of the system. We use a realistic barrier structure applicable in current nanotechnology and analyze the temperature dependence of the tunneling conductance. The new approach presented here may resolve a major problem of possible transistor applications in topological semimetals, i.e., the absence of normal backscattering and gapless band structure.

Alterations in the Spectrum of Spontaneous Rifampicin-Resistance Mutations in the Bacillus subtilis rpoB Gene after Cultivation in the Human Spaceflight Environment.

PubMed

Fajardo-Cavazos, Patricia; Leehan, Joshua D; Nicholson, Wayne L

2018-01-01

The effect of Bacillus subtilis exposure to the human spaceflight environment on growth, mutagenic frequency, and spectrum of mutations to rifampicin resistance (Rif R ) was investigated. B. subtilis cells were cultivated in Biological Research in Canister-Petri Dish Fixation Units (BRIC-PDFUs) on two separate missions to the International Space Station (ISS), dubbed BRIC-18 and BRIC-21, with matching asynchronous ground controls. No statistically significant difference in either growth or in the frequency of mutation to Rif R was found in either experiment. However, nucleotide sequencing of the Rif R regions of the rpoB gene from Rif R mutants revealed dramatic differences in the spectrum of mutations between flight (FL) and ground control (GC) samples, including two newly discovered rpoB alleles in the FL samples (Q137R and L489S). The results strengthen the idea that exposure to the human spaceflight environment causes unique stresses on bacteria, leading to alterations in their mutagenic potential.

Lurking in the Shadows: Emerging Rodent Infectious Diseases

PubMed Central

Besselsen, David G.; Franklin, Craig L.; Livingston, Robert S.; Riley, Lela K.

2013-01-01

Rodent parvoviruses, Helicobacter spp., murine norovirus, and several other previously unknown infectious agents have “emerged” in laboratory rodents relatively recently. These agents have been discovered serendipitously or through active investigation of atypical serology results, cell culture contamination, unexpected histopathology, or previously unrecognized clinical disease syndromes. The potential research impact of these agents is not fully known. Infected rodents have demonstrated immunomodulation, tumor suppression, clinical disease (particularly in immunodeficient rodents), and histopathology. Perturbations of organismal and cellular physiology also likely occur. These agents posed unique challenges to laboratory animal resource programs once discovered; it was necessary to develop specific diagnostic assays and an understanding of their epidemiology and transmission routes before attempting eradication, and then evaluate eradication methods for efficacy. Even then management approaches varied significantly, from apathy to total exclusion, and such inconsistency has hindered the sharing and transfer of rodents among institutions, particularly for genetically modified rodent models that may not be readily available. As additional infectious agents are discovered in laboratory rodents in coming years, much of what researchers have learned from experiences with the recently identified pathogens will be applicable. This article provides an overview of the discovery, detection, and research impact of infectious agents recently identified in laboratory rodents. We also discuss emerging syndromes for which there is a suspected infectious etiology, and the unique challenges of managing newly emerging infectious agents. PMID:18506061

Bioturbo similarity searching: combining chemical and biological similarity to discover structurally diverse bioactive molecules.

PubMed

Wassermann, Anne Mai; Lounkine, Eugen; Glick, Meir

2013-03-25

Virtual screening using bioactivity profiles has become an integral part of currently applied hit finding methods in pharmaceutical industry. However, a significant drawback of this approach is that it is only applicable to compounds that have been biologically tested in the past and have sufficient activity annotations for meaningful profile comparisons. Although bioactivity data generated in pharmaceutical institutions are growing on an unprecedented scale, the number of biologically annotated compounds still covers only a minuscule fraction of chemical space. For a newly synthesized compound or an isolated natural product to be biologically characterized across multiple assays, it may take a considerable amount of time. Consequently, this chemical matter will not be included in virtual screening campaigns based on bioactivity profiles. To overcome this problem, we herein introduce bioturbo similarity searching that uses chemical similarity to map molecules without biological annotations into bioactivity space and then searches for biologically similar compounds in this reference system. In benchmark calculations on primary screening data, we demonstrate that our approach generally achieves higher hit rates and identifies structurally more diverse compounds than approaches using chemical information only. Furthermore, our method is able to discover hits with novel modes of inhibition that traditional 2D and 3D similarity approaches are unlikely to discover. Test calculations on a set of natural products reveal the practical utility of the approach for identifying novel and synthetically more accessible chemical matter.

Macrofaunal communites at newly discovered hydrothermal fields in Central Indian Ridge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miyazaki, J.; Takai, K.; Nakamura, K.; Watanabe, H.; Noguchi, T.; Matsuzaki, T.; Watsuji, T.; Nemoto, S.; Kawagucci, S.; Shibuya, T.; Okamura, K.; Mochizuki, M.; Orihashi, Y.; Marie, D.; Koonjul, M.; Singh, M.; Beedessee, G.; Bhikajee, M.; Tamaki, K.

2010-12-01

In YK09-13 Leg1 cruise targeted on the segment 15 and 16 in Central Indian Ridge (CIR), we have successfully discovered two hydrothermal fields, DODO field and Solitaire field. We expected that there were unique macrofaunal communities in these hydrothermal fields, because there was in Kairei field on the segment 1 in CIR. Particularly, a gastropod, “scaly-foot”, which has sclerites covered with iron-sulfide has only discovered in Kairei field. Therefore, it was interesting whether this unique scaly-foot only exists in Kairei fields or widely expands in CIR. In DODO fields, there were 10 to 15 active chimneys. However, very few hydrothermal vent-endemic faunas were observed. We observed only crabs and shrimps but we did not found shells. As opposed to in the Dodo field, biomass and composition of macrofaunal communities were highly prosperous in the Solitaire field, being equal to Kairei field. Although we have an only one dive to explore the Solitaire field, many predominant taxa were sampled and observed, for example, Alviniconcha, mussels, vanacles and so on. However, the most outstanding feature was the presence of a new morphotype of ‘scaly-foot’ gastropod. Discovery of this new-morphytpe ‘scary-foot” disproved our knowledge. In this conference, I will present these observations. Especially characterization of two types of scaly-foot (Kairei-type and Solitaire-type) will be focused.

Diversity and evolution of cytochrome P450 monooxygenases in Oomycetes.

PubMed

Sello, Mopeli Marshal; Jafta, Norventia; Nelson, David R; Chen, Wanping; Yu, Jae-Hyuk; Parvez, Mohammad; Kgosiemang, Ipeleng Kopano Rosinah; Monyaki, Richie; Raselemane, Seiso Caiphus; Qhanya, Lehlohonolo Benedict; Mthakathi, Ntsane Trevor; Sitheni Mashele, Samson; Syed, Khajamohiddin

2015-07-01

Cytochrome P450 monooxygenases (P450s) are heme-thiolate proteins whose role as drug targets against pathogens, as well as in valuable chemical production and bioremediation, has been explored. In this study we performed comprehensive comparative analysis of P450s in 13 newly explored oomycete pathogens. Three hundred and fifty-six P450s were found in oomycetes. These P450s were grouped into 15 P450 families and 84 P450 subfamilies. Among these, nine P450 families and 31 P450 subfamilies were newly found in oomycetes. Research revealed that oomycetes belonging to different orders contain distinct P450 families and subfamilies in their genomes. Evolutionary analysis and sequence homology data revealed P450 family blooms in oomycetes. Tandem arrangement of a large number of P450s belonging to the same family indicated that P450 family blooming is possibly due to its members' duplications. A unique combination of amino acid patterns was observed at EXXR and CXG motifs for the P450 families CYP5014, CYP5015 and CYP5017. A novel P450 fusion protein (CYP5619 family) with an N-terminal P450 domain fused to a heme peroxidase/dioxygenase domain was discovered in Saprolegnia declina. Oomycete P450 patterns suggested host influence in shaping their P450 content. This manuscript serves as reference for future P450 annotations in newly explored oomycetes.

Southern rice black-streaked dwarf virus (SRBSDV) directly affects the feeding and reproduction behavior of its vector, Sogatella furcifera (Horváth) (Hemiptera: Delphacidae).

PubMed

Xu, Hongxing; He, Xiaochan; Zheng, Xusong; Yang, Yajun; Tian, Junce; Lu, Zhongxian

2014-03-24

Southern rice black-streaked dwarf virus (SRBSDV) is a recently discovered member of the genus Fijivirus and it is transmitted by the rice whitebacked planthopper (WBPH), Sogatella furcifera (Horváth). It was found that SRBSDV infected vectors might contribute negatively to the WBPH population, although the longer nymphal period might benefit viral acquisition, transmission and increase infection rate. The interaction between SRBSDV and its vector need to be further explored to gain better understanding of the dispersal of WBPH and the spread of virus disease, in particular the feeding and reproduction behavior of viruliferous WBPH. Newly hatched nymphs of WBPH were fed on healthy rice plant after feeding on SRBSDV-infected rice plants for 2 h, and newly emerged adults were numbered and tested. Feeding behaviors of WBPH adults were monitored electronically within a Faraday cage using a Giga-4 DC EPG amplifier. The newly emerged adults were paired, and the fecundity and egg hatchability were investigated. WBPH was molecularly identified for SRBSDV when they dead. According to the identification results, data on viruliferous and non-viruliferous WBPH were collected and analyzed. Feeding behavior of viruliferous WBPH was different from those of non-viruliferous WBPH. Frequency of phloem sap ingestion of viruliferous WBPH increased significantly, however the total feeding duration did not increase markedly. When both WBPH parents were infected with SRBSDV, their fecundity and hatchability of the eggs produced were significant lower than those of normal WBPH parents. However, if only one of the parents was viruliferous, fecundity and egg hatchability were only slightly affected. Viruliferous WBPH fed on the phloem more frequently than non-viruliferous WBPH and can thus contribute to virus transmission. When both vector parents are viruliferous fecundity and hatchability of the eggs were significantly reduced. However when only one of the parents WBPH was viruliferous, there were no significant effects.

Southern rice black-streaked dwarf virus (SRBSDV) directly affects the feeding and reproduction behavior of its vector, Sogatella furcifera (Horváth) (Hemiptera: Delphacidae)

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Southern rice black-streaked dwarf virus (SRBSDV) is a recently discovered member of the genus Fijivirus and it is transmitted by the rice whitebacked planthopper (WBPH), Sogatella furcifera (Horváth). It was found that SRBSDV infected vectors might contribute negatively to the WBPH population, although the longer nymphal period might benefit viral acquisition, transmission and increase infection rate. The interaction between SRBSDV and its vector need to be further explored to gain better understanding of the dispersal of WBPH and the spread of virus disease, in particular the feeding and reproduction behavior of viruliferous WBPH. Methods Newly hatched nymphs of WBPH were fed on healthy rice plant after feeding on SRBSDV-infected rice plants for 2 h, and newly emerged adults were numbered and tested. Feeding behaviors of WBPH adults were monitored electronically within a Faraday cage using a Giga-4 DC EPG amplifier. The newly emerged adults were paired, and the fecundity and egg hatchability were investigated. WBPH was molecularly identified for SRBSDV when they dead. According to the identification results, data on viruliferous and non-viruliferous WBPH were collected and analyzed. Results Feeding behavior of viruliferous WBPH was different from those of non-viruliferous WBPH. Frequency of phloem sap ingestion of viruliferous WBPH increased significantly, however the total feeding duration did not increase markedly. When both WBPH parents were infected with SRBSDV, their fecundity and hatchability of the eggs produced were significant lower than those of normal WBPH parents. However, if only one of the parents was viruliferous, fecundity and egg hatchability were only slightly affected. Conclusions Viruliferous WBPH fed on the phloem more frequently than non-viruliferous WBPH and can thus contribute to virus transmission. When both vector parents are viruliferous fecundity and hatchability of the eggs were significantly reduced. However when only one of the parents WBPH was viruliferous, there were no significant effects. PMID:24661747

Psychohistory before Hitler: early military analyses of German national psychology.

PubMed

Bendersky, J W

1988-04-01

As part of a grandiose post-World War I psychological project to predict the behavior of nations, the U.S. Military Intelligence Division (MID) utilized racial and social psychological theories to explain an alleged problematic German national character. Though unsuccessful, this project has major significance in the history of psychohistory. For the newly discovered MID files reveal that ideas, attitudes, and biases many psychohistorians subsequently identified as manifestations of a peculiar German national character had previously been held by American officers and reputable psychologists. What American analysts would, in 1940, view as symptoms of a maladjusted German mind, their predecessors had, in 1920, considered valid scientific concepts.

The threat of emerging infections.

PubMed

1996-11-01

A variety of newly discovered pathogens and new forms of older infectious agents threaten to reemerge. Typical symptoms of acute infection are fever, headache, malaise, vomiting, and diarrhea. Some of the better-known emerging viral infections include dengue, filoviruses (Ebola, Marburg), hantaviruses, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, HIV, influenza, lassa fever, measles, rift valley fever, rotavirus, and yellow fever. Emerging bacterial infections include cholera, Escherichia coli 0157:H7, legionnaires disease (Legionella), lyme disease, streptococcus infections (group A), tuberculosis, and typhoid. Emerging parasitic infections include cryptosporidium and other waterborne pathogens and malaria. The causes of many diseases are still shrouded in mystery; thus, treatments and cures for them are as yet unknown.

Studies on the pathogenesis of fever. V. The relation of circulating endogenous pyrogen to the fever of acute bacterial infections.

PubMed

KING, M K; WOOD, W B

1958-02-01

An endogenous pyrogen, which is indistinguishable from leucocytic pyrogen, has been demonstrated in the blood streams of rabbits with fevers caused by experimental pneumococcal and streptococcal infections. Like the endogenous pyrogen previously detected in the serum of animals with fever produced by the intravenous injection of typhoid vaccine, the newly discovered circulating factor acts directly upon the thermoregulatory centers of the brain. Its origin from polymorphonuclear leucocytes at the site of infection appears to have been established. The possible relationship of this circulating endogenous pyrogen to the pathogenesis of other forms of fever is discussed.

Frequency-domain phase fluorometry in the presence of dark states: A numerical study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Xinxin; Min, Wei

2011-11-01

Fluorescence anomalous phase advance (FAPA) is a newly discovered spectroscopy phenomenon: instead of lagging behind the modulated light, fluorescence signal can exhibit FAPA as if it precedes the excitation source in time. While FAPA offers a promising technique for probing dark state lifetime, the underlying mechanism is not fully elucidated. Herein we investigate frequency-domain phase fluorometry as a result of intricate interplay between a short-lived fluorescent state and a long-lived dark state. In particular, the quantitative dependence on modulation frequency, excitation intensity, nonradiative decay, intersystem crossing and dark-state lifetime are explored respectively. A comprehensive view of phase fluorometry emerges consequently.

A proboscidean from the late Oligocene of Eritrea, a "missing link" between early Elephantiformes and Elephantimorpha, and biogeographic implications.

PubMed

Shoshani, Jeheskel; Walter, Robert C; Abraha, Michael; Berhe, Seife; Tassy, Pascal; Sanders, William J; Marchant, Gary H; Libsekal, Yosief; Ghirmai, Tesfalidet; Zinner, Dietmar

2006-11-14

We report on a late Oligocene proboscidean species from Eritrea, dated to 26.8 +/- 1.5 Mya. This "missing link" between early elephantiformes and Elephantimorpha is the oldest known nongomphothere proboscidean to probably display horizontal tooth displacement, typical of elephants [Elephantimorpha consists of Mammutida (mastodons) and Elephantida, and Elephantida includes gomphotheres, stegodons, and elephants]. Together with the newly discovered late Oligocene gomphotheres from Chilga, Ethiopia, the Eritrean taxon points to the importance of East Africa as a major area for the knowledge of the early evolution of Elephantimorpha before the faunal exchange between Eurasia and Africa.

Redefining the gut as the motor of critical illness

PubMed Central

Mittal, Rohit; Coopersmith, Craig M.

2013-01-01

The gut is hypothesized to play a central role in the progression of sepsis and multiple organ dysfunction syndrome. Critical illness alters gut integrity by increasing epithelial apoptosis and permeability and by decreasing epithelial proliferation and mucus integrity. Additionally, toxic gut-derived lymph induces distant organ injury. Although the endogenous microflora ordinarily exist in a symbiotic relationship with the gut epithelium, severe physiologic insults alter this relationship, leading to induction of virulence factors in the microbiome, which, in turn, can perpetuate or worsen critical illness. This review highlights newly discovered ways in which the gut acts as the motor that perpetuates the systemic inflammatory response in critical illness. PMID:24055446

Inhibition of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) root growth by cyanamide is not always accompanied with enhancement of ROS production.

PubMed

Soltys, Dorota; Gniazdowska, Agnieszka; Bogatek, Renata

2013-05-01

Mode of action of allelochemicals in target plants is currently widely studied. Cyanamide is one of the newly discovered allelochemical, biosynthesized in hairy vetch. Recently, it has been recognized that cyanamide is plant growth inhibitor, which affects mitosis in root tip cells and causes,e.g., disorder in phytohormonal balance. We also demonstrated that CA may act as oxidative stress agent but it strictly depends on plant species, exposure time and doses. Roots of tomato seedling treated with water solution of 1.2 mM cyanamide did not exhibit elevated reactive oxygen species concentration during the whole culture period.

The Newly-Discovered Outer Halo Globular Cluster System of M31

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mackey, D.; Huxor, A.; Ferguson, A.

2012-08-01

In this contribution we describe the discovery of a large number of globular clusters in the outer halo of M31 from the Pan-Andromeda Archaeological Survey (PAndAS). New globular clusters have also been found in the outskirts of M33, and NGC 147 and 185. Many of the remote M31 clusters are observed to preferentially project onto tidal debris streams in the stellar halo, suggesting that much of the outer M31 globular cluster system has been assembled via the accretion of satellite galaxies. We briefly discuss the global properties of the M31 halo globular cluster system.

The Genetic Basis of Pheochromocytoma and Paraganglioma: Implications for Management

PubMed Central

Shuch, Brian; Ricketts, Christopher J.; Pacak, Karol; Linehan, W. Marston

2015-01-01

Chromaffin cells are catecholamine-producing cells derived from neural crest tissue. Chromaffin tumors (ChT) are rare tumors arising from these cells and are divided into pheochromocytoma (PCC) arising from adrenal tissue and paraganglioma (PGL) arising from extra-adrenal ganglia. Previously, ∼10% were believed to be hereditary, but advances in genome sequencing has shown roughly 35% of apparently sporadic tumors have a hereditary component. In this review we describe both classic and newly discovered hereditary ChT syndromes and provide recommendations for genetic testing. In many cases the genes associated with these conditions are linked to common kidney cancer pathways familiar to urologic oncologists. PMID:24642075

New results of microfaunal and geochemical investigations in the Permian-Triassic boundary interval from the Jadar Block (NW Serbia)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sudar, Milan N.; Kolar-Jurkovšek, Tea; Nestell, Galina P.; Jovanović, Divna; Jurkovšek, Bogdan; Williams, Jeremy; Brookfield, Michael; Stebbins, Alan

2018-04-01

Detail results of microfaunal, sedimentological and geochemical investigations are documented from a newly discovered section of the Permian-Triassic boundary (PTB) interval in the area of the town of Valjevo (northwestern Serbia). The presence of various and abundant microfossils (conodonts, foraminifers, and ostracodes) found in the Upper Permian "Bituminous limestone" Formation enabled a determination of the Changhsingian Hindeodus praeparvus conodont Zone. This paper is the first report of latest Permian strata from the region, as well as from all of Serbia, where the PTB interval sediments have been part of a complex/integrated study by means of biostratigraphy and geochemistry.

A journey into the imaginary of Sicilian pastry.

PubMed

Tarantino, Maria; Terziani, Sabina

2010-01-01

This article is an anthropological archeology of Sicilian confectionery, from the prehistoric-like assemblage of sesame seeds and honey (giurgiulena) to the extravagant gelato di campagna and the baroque-rustic cassata. Sweets are analyzed as architectural constructions that rely on newly discovered ingredients and techniques to create edible edifices that amazed the eye as much as the palate. They emerge from their historical and social context and affirm themselves as moments of innovation in the culinary art. On a deeper level, the art of pasticceri bears the marks of an existential quest that constantly redefines man's symbolic relation to the forces and contrasts of life.

Generation of helical Ince-Gaussian beams: beam-shaping with a liquid crystal display

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Davis, Jeffrey A.; Bentley, Joel B.; Bandres, Miguel A.; Gutiérrez-Vega, Julio C.

2006-08-01

We review the three types of laser beams - Hermite-Gaussian (HG), Laguerre-Gaussian (LG) and the newly discovered Ince-Gaussian (IG) beams. We discuss the helical forms of the LG and IG beams that consist of linear combinations of the even and odd solutions and form a number of vortices that are useful for optical trapping applications. We discuss how to generate these beams by encoding the desired amplitude and phase onto a single parallel-aligned liquid crystal display (LCD). We introduce a novel interference technique where we generate both the object and reference beams using a single LCD and show the vortex interference patterns.

Conservation laws and conserved quantities for (1+1)D linearized Boussinesq equations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carvalho, Cindy; Harley, Charis

2017-05-01

Conservation laws and physical conserved quantities for the (1+1)D linearized Boussinesq equations at a constant water depth are presented. These equations describe incompressible, inviscid, irrotational fluid flow in the form of a non steady solitary wave. A systematic multiplier approach is used to obtain the conservation laws of the system of third order partial differential equations (PDEs) in dimensional form. Physical conserved quantities are derived by integrating the conservation laws in the direction of wave propagation and imposing decaying boundary conditions in the horizontal direction. One of these is a newly discovered conserved quantity which relates to an energy flux density.

Morphometric and molecular data on two mitochondrial genes of a newly discovered chimaeran fish ( Hydrolagus melanophasma, Chondrichthyes)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

De La Cruz-Agüero, José; García-Rodríguez, Francisco Javier; Cota-Gómez, Víctor Manuel; Melo-Barrera, Felipe Neri; González-Armas, Rogelio

2012-06-01

Fresh and preserved (type material) specimens of the black ghost chimaera Hydrolagus melanophasma were compared for morphometric characteristics. A molecular comparison was also performed on two mitochondrial gene sequences (12S rRNA and 16S rRNA gene sequences). While significant differences in measurements were found, the differences were not attributable to sexual dimorphism or the quality of the specimens, but to the sample size and the type of statistical tests. The result of the genetic characterization showed that 12S rRNA and 16S rRNA genes represented robust molecular markers that characterized the species.

Inclined Zenith Aurora over Kyoto on 17 September 1770: Graphical Evidence of Extreme Magnetic Storm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kataoka, Ryuho; Iwahashi, Kiyomi

2017-10-01

Red auroras were observed in Japan during an extreme magnetic storm that occurred on 17 September 1770. We show new evidence that the red aurora extended toward the zenith of Kyoto around midnight. The basic appearance of the historical painting of the red aurora is geometrically reproduced based on the inclination of the local magnetic field and a detailed description in a newly discovered diary. The presence of the inclined zenith aurora over Kyoto suggests that the intensity of the September 1770 magnetic storm is comparable to, or slightly larger than that of the September 1859 Carrington storm.

Rediscovery and redescription of Leodice laurillardi (Quatrefages, 1866) comb. nov. (Annelida: Eunicidae)-a rare European polychaete or just an overlooked species?

PubMed

Arias, Andrés; Fernández-Álvarez, Fernando Á; Martins, Roberto; Anadón, Nuria

2015-06-04

The eunicid polychaete, Eunice laurillardi Quatrefages, 1866, originally described from the central Mediterranean, has been discovered on the northern Iberian Peninsula, constituting the first report of the species since its original description. The new specimens are compared with the type collection and the species is redescribed. Furthermore, the species is assigned to the genus Leodice Savigny in Lamarck, 1818, based on information provided by re-examination of type material and the newly collected specimens. A summary of the complex taxonomic history of the species and a discussion of its current status are also provided.

Neutron powder diffraction study on the iron-based nitride superconductor ThFeAsN

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mao, Huican; Wang, Cao; Maynard-Casely, Helen E.; Huang, Qingzhen; Wang, Zhicheng; Cao, Guanghan; Li, Shiliang; Luo, Huiqian

2017-03-01

We report neutron diffraction and transport results on the newly discovered superconducting nitride ThFeAsN with T_c= 30 \\text{K} . No magnetic transition, but a weak structural distortion around 160 K, is observed by cooling from 300 K to 6 K. Analysis on the resistivity, Hall transport and crystal structure suggests that this material behaves as an electron optimally doped pnictide superconductor due to extra electrons from nitrogen deficiency or oxygen occupancy at the nitrogen site, which, together with the low arsenic height, may enhance the electron itinerancy and reduce the electron correlations, thus suppressing the static magnetic order.

Electronic nature of the lock-in magnetic transition in Ce X Al4Si2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gunasekera, J.; Harriger, L.; Dahal, A.; Maurya, A.; Heitmann, T.; Disseler, S. M.; Thamizhavel, A.; Dhar, S.; Singh, D. J.; Singh, D. K.

2016-04-01

We have investigated the underlying magnetism in newly discovered single crystal Kondo lattices Ce X Al4Si2 , where X = Rh, Ir. We show that the compound undergoes an incommensurate-to-commensurate magnetic transition at Tc=9.19 K (10.75 K in Ir). The spin correlation in the incommensurate phase is described by a spin density wave configuration of Ce ions, which locks in to the long-range antiferromagnetic order at T =Tc. The analysis of the experimental data, combined with the calculation of the electronic properties, suggests the role of the Fermi surface nesting as the primary mechanism behind this phenomenon.

High-resolution crystal spectrometer for the 10-60 A extreme ultraviolet region

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

Beiersdorfer, P.; Brown, G.V.; Goddard, R.

2004-10-01

A vacuum crystal spectrometer with nominal resolving power approaching 1000 is described for measuring emission lines with wavelength in the extreme ultraviolet region up to 60 A. The instrument utilizes a flat octadecyl hydrogen maleate crystal and a thin-window 1D position-sensitive gas proportional detector. This detector employs a 1-{mu}m-thick 100x8 mm{sup 2} aluminized polyimide window and operates at one atmosphere pressure. The spectrometer has been implemented on the Livermore electron beam ion traps. The performance of the instrument is illustrated in measurements of the newly discovered magnetic field-sensitive line in Ar{sup 8+}.

High-resolution crystal spectrometer for the 10-60 (angstrom) EUV region

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

Beiersdorfer, P; Brown, G V; Goddard, R

2004-02-20

A vacuum crystal spectrometer with nominal resolving power approaching 1000 is described for measuring emission lines with wavelength in the extreme ultraviolet region up to 60 Angstroms. The instrument utilizes a flat octadecyl hydrogen maleate (OHM) crystal and a thin-window 1-D position-sensitive gas proportional detector. This detector employs a 1 {micro}m-thick 100 x8 mm{sup 2} aluminized polyimide window and operates at one atmosphere pressure. The spectrometer has been implemented on the Livermore electron beam ion traps. The performance of the instrument is illustrated in measurements of the newly discovered magnetic field-sensitive line in Ar{sup 8+}.

Comprehensive human transcription factor binding site map for combinatory binding motifs discovery.

PubMed

Müller-Molina, Arnoldo J; Schöler, Hans R; Araúzo-Bravo, Marcos J

2012-01-01

To know the map between transcription factors (TFs) and their binding sites is essential to reverse engineer the regulation process. Only about 10%-20% of the transcription factor binding motifs (TFBMs) have been reported. This lack of data hinders understanding gene regulation. To address this drawback, we propose a computational method that exploits never used TF properties to discover the missing TFBMs and their sites in all human gene promoters. The method starts by predicting a dictionary of regulatory "DNA words." From this dictionary, it distills 4098 novel predictions. To disclose the crosstalk between motifs, an additional algorithm extracts TF combinatorial binding patterns creating a collection of TF regulatory syntactic rules. Using these rules, we narrowed down a list of 504 novel motifs that appear frequently in syntax patterns. We tested the predictions against 509 known motifs confirming that our system can reliably predict ab initio motifs with an accuracy of 81%-far higher than previous approaches. We found that on average, 90% of the discovered combinatorial binding patterns target at least 10 genes, suggesting that to control in an independent manner smaller gene sets, supplementary regulatory mechanisms are required. Additionally, we discovered that the new TFBMs and their combinatorial patterns convey biological meaning, targeting TFs and genes related to developmental functions. Thus, among all the possible available targets in the genome, the TFs tend to regulate other TFs and genes involved in developmental functions. We provide a comprehensive resource for regulation analysis that includes a dictionary of "DNA words," newly predicted motifs and their corresponding combinatorial patterns. Combinatorial patterns are a useful filter to discover TFBMs that play a major role in orchestrating other factors and thus, are likely to lock/unlock cellular functional clusters.

Comprehensive Human Transcription Factor Binding Site Map for Combinatory Binding Motifs Discovery

PubMed Central

Müller-Molina, Arnoldo J.; Schöler, Hans R.; Araúzo-Bravo, Marcos J.

2012-01-01

To know the map between transcription factors (TFs) and their binding sites is essential to reverse engineer the regulation process. Only about 10%–20% of the transcription factor binding motifs (TFBMs) have been reported. This lack of data hinders understanding gene regulation. To address this drawback, we propose a computational method that exploits never used TF properties to discover the missing TFBMs and their sites in all human gene promoters. The method starts by predicting a dictionary of regulatory “DNA words.” From this dictionary, it distills 4098 novel predictions. To disclose the crosstalk between motifs, an additional algorithm extracts TF combinatorial binding patterns creating a collection of TF regulatory syntactic rules. Using these rules, we narrowed down a list of 504 novel motifs that appear frequently in syntax patterns. We tested the predictions against 509 known motifs confirming that our system can reliably predict ab initio motifs with an accuracy of 81%—far higher than previous approaches. We found that on average, 90% of the discovered combinatorial binding patterns target at least 10 genes, suggesting that to control in an independent manner smaller gene sets, supplementary regulatory mechanisms are required. Additionally, we discovered that the new TFBMs and their combinatorial patterns convey biological meaning, targeting TFs and genes related to developmental functions. Thus, among all the possible available targets in the genome, the TFs tend to regulate other TFs and genes involved in developmental functions. We provide a comprehensive resource for regulation analysis that includes a dictionary of “DNA words,” newly predicted motifs and their corresponding combinatorial patterns. Combinatorial patterns are a useful filter to discover TFBMs that play a major role in orchestrating other factors and thus, are likely to lock/unlock cellular functional clusters. PMID:23209563

The effect of preceptor role effectiveness on newly licensed registered nurses' perceived psychological empowerment and professional autonomy.

PubMed

Watkins, Chanell; Hart, Patricia L; Mareno, Nicole

2016-03-01

The first year turnover rate for newly licensed registered nurses is roughly 30% and increases to about 57% in the second year (Twibell et al., 2012). An effective preceptorship has been shown to better facilitate the first year transition (Hodges et al., 2008) and increase retention rates (Pine and Tart, 2007). The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between newly licensed registered nurses' perceived preceptor role effectiveness, psychological empowerment and professional autonomy. A prospective, cross-sectional, descriptive research design was used. Sixty-nine newly licensed registered nurses were recruited and surveyed. Newly licensed registered nurses were found to have moderately high levels of perceived preceptor role effectiveness, psychological empowerment, and professional autonomy. Preceptor role effectiveness had significant, moderately, positive relationships with professional autonomy and psychological empowerment. There was also a significant relationship found between professional autonomy and psychological empowerment. Results show that preceptor role effectiveness is linked to increased professional autonomy and psychological empowerment. Therefore, effective preceptorships are necessary in easing the newly licensed registered nurse's transition to practice. Strategies to ensure effective preceptorships and enhance the NRLN's transition to practice are proposed. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Chandra studies of the globular cluster 47 Tucanae: A deeper X-ray source catalogue, five new X-ray counterparts to millisecond radio pulsars, and new constraints to r-mode instability window

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhattacharya, Souradeep; Heinke, Craig O.; Chugunov, Andrey I.; Freire, Paulo C. C.; Ridolfi, Alessandro; Bogdanov, Slavko

2017-12-01

We combined Chandra ACIS observations of the globular cluster 47 Tucanae (47 Tuc) from 2000, 2002 and 2014-2015 to create a deeper X-ray source list, and study some of the faint radio millisecond pulsars (MSPs) present in this cluster. We have detected 370 X-ray sources within the half-mass radius (2.79 arcsec) of the cluster, 81 of which are newly identified, by including new data and using improved source detection techniques. The majority of the newly identified sources are in the crowded core region, indicating cluster membership. We associate five of the new X-ray sources with chromospherically active BY Dra or W UMa variables identified by Albrow et al. We present alternative positions derived from two methods, centroiding and image reconstruction, for faint, crowded sources. We are able to extract X-ray spectra of the recently discovered MSPs 47 Tuc aa, 47 Tuc ab, the newly timed MSP 47 Tuc Z, and the newly resolved MSPs 47 Tuc S and 47 Tuc F. Generally, they are well fitted by blackbody or neutron star atmosphere models, with temperatures, luminosities and emitting radii similar to those of other known MSPs in 47 Tuc, though 47 Tuc aa and 47 Tuc ab reach lower X-ray luminosities. We limit X-ray emission from the full surface of the rapidly spinning (542 Hz) MSP 47 Tuc aa, and use this limit to put an upper bound for amplitude of r-mode oscillations in this pulsar as α < 2.5 × 10-9 and constrain the shape of the r-mode instability window.

Necrosis Avidity: A Newly Discovered Feature of Hypericin and its Preclinical Applications in Necrosis Imaging

PubMed Central

Jiang, Binghu; Wang, Jichen; Ni, Yicheng; Chen, Feng

2013-01-01

Hypericin has been widely studied as a potent photosensitizer for photodynamic therapy in both preclinical and clinical settings. Recently, hypericin has also been discovered to have a specific avidity for necrotic tissue. This affinity is also observed in a series of radiolabeled derivatives of hypericin, including [123I]iodohypericin, [124I]iodohypericin, and [131I]iodohypericin. Hypericin, along with other necrosis-avid contrast agents, has been investigated for use in noninvasively targeting necrotic tissues in numerous disorders. Potential clinical applications of hypericin include the identification of acute myocardial infarction, evaluation of tissue viability, assessment of therapeutic responses to treatments, and interventional procedures for solid tumors. The mechanisms of necrosis avidity in hypericin remain to be fully elucidated, although several hypotheses have been suggested. In particular, it has been proposed that the necrosis avidity of hypericin is compound specific; for instance, cholesterol, phosphatidylserine, or phosphatidylethanolamine components in the phospholipid bilayer of cellular membranes may be the major targets for its observed selectivity. Further investigations are needed to identify the specific binding moiety that is responsible for the necrosis avidity of hypericin. PMID:24052807

Chromospheric counterparts of solar transition region unresolved fine structure loops

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pereira, Tiago M. D.; Rouppe van der Voort, Luc; Hansteen, Viggo H.; De Pontieu, Bart

2018-04-01

Low-lying loops have been discovered at the solar limb in transition region temperatures by the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS). They do not appear to reach coronal temperatures, and it has been suggested that they are the long-predicted unresolved fine structures (UFS). These loops are dynamic and believed to be visible during both heating and cooling phases. Making use of coordinated observations between IRIS and the Swedish 1-m Solar Telescope, we study how these loops impact the solar chromosphere. We show for the first time that there is indeed a chromospheric signal of these loops, seen mostly in the form of strong Doppler shifts and a conspicuous lack of chromospheric heating. In addition, we find that several instances have a inverse Y-shaped jet just above the loop, suggesting that magnetic reconnection is driving these events. Our observations add several puzzling details to the current knowledge of these newly discovered structures; this new information must be considered in theoretical models. Two movies associated to Fig. 1 are available at http://https://www.aanda.org

Modeling transiting circumstellar disks: characterizing the newly discovered eclipsing disk system OGLE LMC-ECL-11893

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

Scott, Erin L.; Mamajek, Eric E.; Pecaut, Mark J.

2014-12-10

We investigate the nature of the unusual eclipsing star OGLE LMC-ECL-11893 (OGLE J05172127-6900558) in the Large Magellanic Cloud recently reported by Dong et al. The eclipse period for this star is 468 days, and the eclipses exhibit a minimum of ∼1.4 mag, preceded by a plateau of ∼0.8 mag. Spectra and optical/IR photometry are consistent with the eclipsed star being a lightly reddened B9III star of inferred age ∼150 Myr and mass ∼4 M {sub ☉}. The disk appears to have an outer radius of ∼0.2 AU with predicted temperatures of ∼1100-1400 K. We model the eclipses as being duemore » to either a transiting geometrically thin dust disk or gaseous accretion disk around a secondary object; the debris disk produces a better fit. We speculate on the origin of such a dense circumstellar dust disk structure orbiting a relatively old low-mass companion, and on the similarities of this system to the previously discovered EE Cep.« less

Structural perturbations on huntingtin N17 domain during its folding on 2D-nanomaterials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Leili; Feng, Mei; Zhou, Ruhong; Luan, Binquan

2017-09-01

A globular protein’s folded structure in its physiological environment is largely determined by its amino acid sequence. Recently, newly discovered transformer proteins as well as intrinsically disordered proteins may adopt the folding-upon-binding mechanism where their secondary structures are highly dependent on their binding partners. Due to the various applications of nanomaterials in biological sensors and potential wearable devices, it is important to discover possible conformational changes of proteins on nanomaterials. Here, through molecular dynamics simulations, we show that the first 17 residues of the huntingtin protein (HTT-N17) exhibit appreciable differences during its folding on 2D-nanomaterials, such as graphene and MoS2 nanosheets. Namely, the protein is disordered on the graphene surface but is helical on the MoS2 surface. Despite that the amphiphilic environment at the nanosheet-water interface promotes the folding of the amphipathic proteins (such as HTT-N17), competitions between protein-nanosheet and intra-protein interactions yield very different protein conformations. Therefore, as engineered binding partners, nanomaterials might significantly affect the structures of adsorbed proteins.

Identification of New Cocrystal Systems with Stoichiometric Diversity of Salicylic Acid Using Thermal Methods.

PubMed

Zhou, Zhengzheng; Chan, Hok Man; Sung, Herman H-Y; Tong, Henry H Y; Zheng, Ying

2016-04-01

The purpose of this work was to develop thermal methods to identify cocrystal systems with stoichiometric diversity. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and hot stage microscopy (HSM) have been applied to study the stoichiometric diversity phenomenon on cocrystal systems of the model compound salicylic acid (SA) with different coformers (CCFs). The DSC method was particularly useful in the identification of cocrystal re-crystallization, especially to improve the temperature resolution using a slower heating rate. HSM was implemented as a complementary protocol to confirm the DSC results. The crystal structures were elucidated by single-crystal X-ray diffraction (SXRD). Two new cocrystal systems consisting of salicylic acid-benzamide (SA-BZD, 1:1, 1:2) and salicylic acid-isonicotinamide (SA-ISN, 1:1, 2:1) have been identified in the present work. The chemical structures of the newly discovered cocrystals SA-BZD (1:2) and SA-ISN (2:1) have been elucidated using X-ray single crystal and powder diffraction methods. The developed thermal methods could rapidly identify cocrystal systems with stoichiometric diversity, with the potential to discover new pharmaceutical cocrystals in the future.

Current perspectives on the phylogeny of Filoviridae.

PubMed

Barrette, Roger W; Xu, Lizhe; Rowland, Jessica M; McIntosh, Michael T

2011-10-01

Sporadic fatal outbreaks of disease in humans and non-human primates caused by Ebola or Marburg viruses have driven research into the characterization of these viruses with the hopes of identifying host tropisms and potential reservoirs. Such an understanding of the relatedness of newly discovered filoviruses may help to predict risk factors for outbreaks of hemorrhagic disease in humans and/or non-human primates. Recent discoveries such as three distinct genotypes of Reston ebolavirus, unexpectedly discovered in domestic swine in the Philippines; as well as a new species, Bundibugyo ebolavirus; the recent discovery of Lloviu virus as a potential new genus, Cuevavirus, within Filoviridae; and germline integrations of filovirus-like sequences in some animal species bring new insights into the relatedness of filoviruses, their prevalence and potential for transmission to humans. These new findings reveal that filoviruses are more diverse and may have had a greater influence on the evolution of animals than previously thought. Herein we review these findings with regard to the implications for understanding the host range, prevalence and transmission of Filoviridae. Published by Elsevier B.V.

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

Rund, D.; Cohen, T.; Filon, D.

{beta}-Thalassemia is a hereditary disease caused by any of 90 different point mutations in the {beta}-globin gene. Specific populations generally carry a small number of mutations, the most common of which are those that are widely distributed regionally. The present study constitutes an extensive molecular characterization of this disease in a small, highly inbred ethnic group with a high incidence of {beta}-thalassemia-the Jews of Kurdistan. An unusual mutational diversity was observed. In 42 sibships 13 different mutations were identified, of which 3 are newly discovered. Four of the mutations are unique to Kurdish Jews and have not been discovered inmore » any other population. A fifth was found outside Kurdish Jews only in an Iranian from Khuzistan, a region bordering Kurdistan. Two-thirds of the mutant chromosomes carry the mutations unique to Kurdish Jews. The authors traced the origin of the mutations to specific geographic regions within Kurdistan. This information, supported by haplotype analysis, suggests that thalassemia in central Kurdistan (northern Iraq) has evolved primarily from multiple mutational events. They conclude that several evolutionary mechanisms contributed to the evolution of {beta}-thalassemia in this small ethnic isolate.« less

Low temperature magneto-morphological characterisation of coronene and the resolution of previously observed unexplained phenomena

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Potticary, Jason; Boston, Rebecca; Vella-Zarb, Liana; Few, Alex; Bell, Christopher; Hall, Simon R.

2016-12-01

The polyaromatic hydrocarbon coronene has been the molecule of choice for understanding the physical properties of graphene for over a decade. The modelling of the latter by the former was considered to be valid, as since it was first synthesised in 1932, the physical behaviour of coronene has been determined extremely accurately. We recently discovered however, an unforeseen polymorph of coronene, which exists as an enantiotrope with the previously observed crystal structure. Using low-temperature magnetisation and crystallographic measurements, we show here for the first time that the electronic and magnetic properties of coronene depend directly on the temperature at which it is observed, with hysteretic behaviour exhibited between 300 K and 100 K. Furthermore we determine that this behaviour is a direct result of the appearance and disappearance of the newly-discovered polymorph during thermal cycling. Our results not only highlight the need for theoretical models of graphene to take into account this anomalous behaviour at low temperatures, but also explain puzzling experimental observations of coronene dating back over 40 years.

Petrogenesis of the western highlands of the moon - Evidence from a diverse group of whitlockite-rich rocks from the Fra Mauro formation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Snyder, Gregory A.; Taylor, Lawrence A.; Liu, Yun-Gang; Schmitt, Roman A.

1992-01-01

A group of KREEPy basalts has been discovered in Apollo 14 soils. These samples exhibit similarities to both HA and VHK basalts, albeit with much higher REE abundances, and contain up to 2 vol pct whitlockite and can be explained by assimilation of a K-, REE- and P-rich fluids by an original HA or VHK basalt. This KREEP component could have been produced late in the evolution of the lunar magma ocean and is similar in composition to QMD at Apollo 14. Two rocks have trace element compositions that are representative of actual KREEP. One of the samples appears to be petrographically pristine and could represent an actual KREEP basalt rock. Five subophitic high-Al basalts represent sampling of either a slowly cooled impact melt sheet or, more likely, the same basalt flow. Two 'quasi-pristine' highland rocks confirm the postulate of a connection between KREEP and the alkali suite. A newly discovered alkali anorthosite is a plagioclase cumulate with about 15 percent trapped KREEPy liquid.

Efficient Feature Selection and Classification of Protein Sequence Data in Bioinformatics

PubMed Central

Faye, Ibrahima; Samir, Brahim Belhaouari; Md Said, Abas

2014-01-01

Bioinformatics has been an emerging area of research for the last three decades. The ultimate aims of bioinformatics were to store and manage the biological data, and develop and analyze computational tools to enhance their understanding. The size of data accumulated under various sequencing projects is increasing exponentially, which presents difficulties for the experimental methods. To reduce the gap between newly sequenced protein and proteins with known functions, many computational techniques involving classification and clustering algorithms were proposed in the past. The classification of protein sequences into existing superfamilies is helpful in predicting the structure and function of large amount of newly discovered proteins. The existing classification results are unsatisfactory due to a huge size of features obtained through various feature encoding methods. In this work, a statistical metric-based feature selection technique has been proposed in order to reduce the size of the extracted feature vector. The proposed method of protein classification shows significant improvement in terms of performance measure metrics: accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, recall, F-measure, and so forth. PMID:25045727

Apolipoprotein A5: A newly identified gene impacting plasmatriglyceride levels in humans and mice

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

Pennacchio, Len A.; Rubin, Edward M.

2002-09-15

Apolipoprotein A5 (APOA5) is a newly described member of theapolipoprotein gene family whose initial discovery arose from comparativesequence analysis of the mammalian APOA1/C3/A4 gene cluster. Functionalstudies in mice indicated that alteration in the level of APOA5significantly impacted plasma triglyceride concentrations. Miceover-expressing human APOA5 displayed significantly reducedtriglycerides, while mice lacking apoA5 had a large increase in thislipid parameter. Studies in humans have also suggested an important rolefor APOA5 in determining plasma triglyceride concentrations. In theseexperiments, polymorphisms in the human gene were found to define severalcommon haplotypes that were associated with significant changes intriglyceride concentrations in multiple populations. Several separateclinical studies havemore » provided consistent and strong support for theeffect with 24 percent of Caucasians, 35 percent of African-Americans and53 percent of Hispanics carrying APOA5 haplotypes associated withincreased plasma triglyceride levels. In summary, APOA5 represents anewly discovered gene involved in triglyceride metabolism in both humansand mice whose mechanism of action remains to be deciphered.« less

Peptide YY abnormalities in gastrointestinal diseases.

PubMed

Adrian, T E; Savage, A P; Bacarese-Hamilton, A J; Wolfe, K; Besterman, H S; Bloom, S R

1986-02-01

Plasma concentrations of peptide YY (PYY), a newly isolated peptide produced by ileal and colonic endocrine cells, were measured in several groups of patients with digestive disorders after a standardized normal breakfast. Peptide YY levels were found to be grossly elevated in patients with steatorrhea due to small intestinal mucosal atrophy (tropical sprue). Basal levels in these patients were 79 +/- 18 pM, which was nearly 10-fold higher than those seen in healthy controls (8.5 +/- 0.8 pM). Patients with steatorrhea due to chronic destructive pancreatitis also had substantially increased basal PYY levels (47.5 +/- 6.3 pM), and their postprandial response was also greater than that of normal subjects. Moderately elevated plasma PYY concentrations were seen in patients with inflammatory bowel disease and patients recovering from acute infective diarrhea. In contrast, patients with diverticular disease, duodenal ulcer, and functional bowel disease had normal PYY responses. These changes in the secretion of PYY responses. These changes in the secretion, may shed light on the physiologic role of this newly discovered peptide and on intestinal adaptation to common digestive disorders.

40 CFR 268.38 - Waste specific prohibitions-newly identified organic toxicity characteristic wastes and newly...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... identified organic toxicity characteristic wastes and newly listed coke by-product and chlorotoluene... specific prohibitions—newly identified organic toxicity characteristic wastes and newly listed coke by-product and chlorotoluene production wastes. (a) Effective December 19, 1994, the wastes specified in 40...

2MASS J22560844+5954299: the newly discovered cataclysmic star with the deepest eclipse

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kjurkchieva, D.; Khruzina, T.; Dimitrov, D.; Groebel, R.; Ibryamov, S.; Nikolov, G.

2015-12-01

Context. The SW Sex stars are assumed to represent a distinguished stage in cataclysmic variable (CV) evolution, making it especially important to study them. Aims: We discovered a new cataclysmic star and carried out prolonged and precise photometric observations, as well as medium-resolution spectral observations. Modelling these data allowed us to determine the physical parameters and to establish its peculiarities. Methods: To obtain a light curve solution we used model whose emission sources are a white dwarf surrounded by an accretion disk with a hot spot, a gaseous stream near the disk's lateral side, and a secondary star filling its Roche lobe. The obtained physical parameters are compared with those of other SW Sex-subtype stars. Results: The newly discovered cataclysmic variable 2MASS J22560844+5954299 shows the deepest eclipse amongst the known nova-like stars. It was reproduced by totally covering a very luminous accretion disk by a red secondary component. The temperature distribution of the disk is flatter than that of steady-state disk. The target is unusual with the combination of a low mass ratio q ~ 1.0 (considerably below the limit q = 1.2 of stable mass transfer of CVs) and an M-star secondary. The intensity of the observed three emission lines, Hα, He 5875, and He 6678, sharply increases around phase 0.0, accompanied by a Doppler jump to the shorter wavelength. The absence of eclipses of the emission lines and their single-peaked profiles means that they originate mainly in a vertically extended hot-spot halo. The emission Hα line reveals S-wave wavelength shifts with semi-amplitude of around 210 km s-1 and phase lag of 0.03. Conclusions: The non-steady-state emission of the luminous accretion disk of 2MASS J22560844+5954299 was attributed to the low viscosity of the disk matter caused by its unusually high temperature. The star shows all spectral properties of an SW Sex variable apart from the 0.5 central absorption. Based on data collected with the telescopes at Rozhen National Astronomical Observatory.Spectra (FITS files) are only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (ftp://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/584/A40

Activation of dormant secondary metabolite production by introducing neomycin resistance into the deep-sea fungus, Aspergillus versicolor ZBY-3.

PubMed

Dong, Yuan; Cui, Cheng-Bin; Li, Chang-Wei; Hua, Wei; Wu, Chang-Jing; Zhu, Tian-Jiao; Gu, Qian-Qun

2014-07-29

A new ultrasound-mediated approach has been developed to introduce neomycin-resistance to activate silent pathways for secondary metabolite production in a bio-inactive, deep-sea fungus, Aspergillus versicolor ZBY-3. Upon treatment of the ZBY-3 spores with a high concentration of neomycin by proper ultrasound irradiation, a total of 30 mutants were obtained by single colony isolation. The acquired resistance of the mutants to neomycin was confirmed by a resistance test. In contrast to the ZBY-3 strain, the EtOAc extracts of 22 of the 30 mutants inhibited the human cancer K562 cells, indicating that these mutants acquired a capability to produce antitumor metabolites. HPLC-photodiode array detector (PDAD)-UV and HPLC-electron spray ionization (ESI)-MS analyses of the EtOAc extracts of seven bioactive mutants and the ZBY-3 strain indicated that diverse secondary metabolites have been newly produced in the mutant extracts in contrast to the ZBY-3 extract. The followed isolation and characterization demonstrated that six metabolites, cyclo(D-Pro-D-Phe) (1), cyclo(D-Tyr-D-Pro) (2), phenethyl 5-oxo-L-prolinate (3), cyclo(L-Ile-L-Pro) (4), cyclo(L-Leu-L-Pro) (5) and 3β,5α,9α-trihydroxy-(22E,24R)-ergosta-7,22-dien-6-one (6), were newly produced by the mutant u2n2h3-3 compared to the parent ZBY-3 strain. Compound 3 was a new compound; 2 was isolated from a natural source for the first time, and all of these compounds were also not yet found in the metabolites of other A. versicolor strains. Compounds 1-6 inhibited the K562 cells, with inhibition rates of 54.6% (1), 72.9% (2), 23.5% (3), 29.6% (4), 30.9% (5) and 51.1% (6) at 100 μg/mL, and inhibited also other human cancer HL-60, BGC-823 and HeLa cells, to some extent. The present study demonstrated the effectiveness of the ultrasound-mediated approach to activate silent metabolite production in fungi by introducing acquired resistance to aminoglycosides and its potential for discovering new compounds from silent fungal metabolic pathways. This approach could be applied to elicit the metabolic potentials of other fungal isolates to discover new compounds from cryptic secondary metabolites.

β-Adrenergic Receptor-Mediated Cardiac Contractility is Inhibited via Vasopressin Type 1A-Receptor-Dependent Signaling

PubMed Central

Tilley, Douglas G.; Zhu, Weizhong; Myers, Valerie D.; Barr, Larry A.; Gao, Erhe; Li, Xue; Song, Jianliang; Carter, Rhonda L.; Makarewich, Catherine A.; Yu, Daohai; Troupes, Constantine D.; Grisanti, Laurel A.; Coleman, Ryan C.; Koch, Walter J.; Houser, Steven R.; Cheung, Joseph Y.; Feldman, Arthur M.

2014-01-01

Background Enhanced arginine vasopressin (AVP) levels are associated with increased mortality during end-stage human heart failure (HF), and cardiac AVP type 1A receptor (V1AR) expression becomes increased. Additionally, mice with cardiac-restricted V1AR overexpression develop cardiomyopathy and decreased β-adrenergic receptor (βAR) responsiveness. This led us to hypothesize that V1AR signaling regulated βAR responsiveness and in doing so contributes to HF development. Methods and Results Transaortic constriction resulted in decreased cardiac function and βAR density and increased cardiac V1AR expression, effects reversed by a V1AR-selective antagonist. Molecularly, V1AR stimulation led to decreased βAR ligand affinity, as well as βAR-induced Ca2+ mobilization and cAMP generation in isolated adult cardiomyocytes, effects recapitulated via ex vivo Langendorff analysis. V1AR-mediated regulation of βAR responsiveness was demonstrated to occur in a previously unrecognized Gq protein-independent/GRK-dependent manner. Conclusions This newly discovered relationship between cardiac V1AR and βAR may be informative for the treatment of patients with acute decompensated HF and elevated AVP. PMID:25205804

Liquid Microjunction Surface Sampling Probe Fluid Dynamics: Computational and Experimental Analysis of Coaxial Intercapillary Positioning Effects on Sample Manipulation

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

ElNaggar, Mariam S; Barbier, Charlotte N; Van Berkel, Gary J

A coaxial geometry liquid microjunction surface sampling probe (LMJ-SSP) enables direct extraction of analytes from surfaces for subsequent analysis by techniques like mass spectrometry. Solution dynamics at the probe-to-sample surface interface in the LMJ-SSP has been suspected to influence sampling efficiency and dispersion but has not been rigorously investigated. The effect on flow dynamics and analyte transport to the mass spectrometer caused by coaxial retraction of the inner and outer capillaries from each other and the surface during sampling with a LMJ-SSP was investigated using computational fluid dynamics and experimentation. A transparent LMJ-SSP was constructed to provide the means formore » visual observation of the dynamics of the surface sampling process. Visual observation, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis, and experimental results revealed that inner capillary axial retraction from the flush position relative to the outer capillary transitioned the probe from a continuous sampling and injection mode through an intermediate regime to sample plug formationmode caused by eddy currents at the sampling end of the probe. The potential for analytical implementation of these newly discovered probe operational modes is discussed.« less

Challenges presented by MERS corona virus, and SARS corona virus to global health.

PubMed

Al-Hazmi, Ali

2016-07-01

Numerous viral infections have arisen and affected global healthcare facilities. Millions of people are at severe risk of acquiring several evolving viral infections through several factors. In the present article we have described about risk factors, chance of infection, and prevention methods of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS-CoV), human coronaviruses (CoVs) frequently cause a normal cold which is mild and self-restricting. Zoonotic transmission of CoVs such as the newly discovered MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV, may be associated with severe lower respiratory tract infection. The present review provides the recent clinical and pathological information on MERS and SARS. The task is to transform these discoveries about MERS and SARS pathogenesis and to develop intervention methods that will eventually allow the effective control of these recently arising severe viral infections. Global health sector has learnt many lessons through the recent outbreak of MERS and SARS, but the need for identifying new antiviral treatment was not learned. In the present article we have reviewed the literature on the several facets like transmission, precautions and effectiveness of treatments used in patients with MERS-CoV and SARS infections.

Slc10A4 - what do we know about the function of this "secret ligand carrier" protein?

PubMed

Borges, Karin

2013-10-01

This commentary discusses the possible functions of a relatively newly described solute carrier protein, Slc10a4, in regards to a recent article by Zelano et al. (2013) published in the January issue of Experimental Neurology, 239, 73-81. Slc10a4 belongs to the sodium-bile acid cotransporter family (Slc10), but does not show plasma membrane transport activity of bile acids and related molecules. It is co-localized with synaptic vesicle transporters for acetylcholine and dopamine. In Slc10a4 lacking mice, Zelano et al. found increased excitability in hippocampal slices and in vivo responses to pilocarpine, but not kainate. These findings are critically examined here. This author speculates on the possible function of Slc10a4, but remains partial about "specific effects of Slc10a4 in cholinergic systems". It is hoped that approaches targeting human SLC10A4 can be discovered for potential clinical use in neurological disorders, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, schizophrenia and addiction. Conversely, some side effects are expected due to peripheral Slc10a4 localization in sympathetic and parasympathetic nerves, as well as mast cells. © 2013.

Necroptosis: a potential, promising target and switch in acute pancreatitis.

PubMed

Wang, Gang; Qu, Feng-Zhi; Li, Le; Lv, Jia-Chen; Sun, Bei

2016-02-01

Pancreatic acinar cell death is the major pathophysiological change in early acute pancreatitis (AP), and the death modalities are important factors determining its progression and prognosis. During AP, acinar cells undergo two major modes of death, including necrosis and apoptosis. Acinar necrosis can lead to intensely local and systemic inflammatory responses, which both induce and aggravate the lesion. Necrosis has long been considered an unregulated, and passive cell death process. Since the effective interventions of necrosis are difficult to perform, its relevant studies have not received adequate attention. Necroptosis is a newly discovered cell death modality characterized by both necrosis and apoptosis, i.e., it is actively regulated by special genes, while has the typical morphological features of necrosis. Currently, necroptosis is gradually becoming an important topic in the fields of inflammatory diseases. The preliminary results from necroptosis in AP have confirmed the existence of acinar cell necroptosis, which may be a potential target for effectively regulating inflammatory injuries and improving its outcomes; however, the functional changes and mechanisms of necroptosis still require further investigation. This article reviewed the progress of necroptosis in AP to provide a reference for deeply understanding the pathogenic mechanisms of AP and identifying new therapeutic targets.

The Natural History of the South Hills Crossbill in Relation to Its Impending Extinction.

PubMed

Benkman, Craig W

2016-12-01

Increasingly, the species that we discover will be uncommon, area restricted, and vulnerable to extinction. I describe the natural history of a newly discovered seed-eating finch from the Rocky Mountain region, the South Hills crossbill (Loxia curvirostra complex). It relies on seeds in the closed cones of the fire-adapted Rocky Mountain lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta latifolia) and is found only in the higher elevations of two small mountain ranges in southern Idaho. Here crossbills and pine are engaged in a coevolutionary arms race. Although most of the seeds remain secured within the cones for decades until the heat of a stand-replacing fire causes the cone scales to separate, seeds become accessible to crossbills slowly as cones weather and gaps form between some of the scales. However, hot days (≥32°C), especially four or more hot days, seem to mimic the effect of fire, apparently causing the immediate release of a fraction of the seeds. Such events caused a 20% annual decline in crossbills that lasted up to 4 years and an 80% decline in the population between 2003 and 2011. This is an example of a novel trophic mismatch between a consumer and its resource caused by a shift in the phenology of the resource arising from climate change. Not only do these phenological shifts have the potential to cause seed consumers to decline, these shifts are also likely to cause reduced recruitment of the plants. The South Hills crossbill is especially vulnerable and will likely go extinct this century before lodgepole pine is extirpated from the South Hills.

LSST and the Epoch of Reionization Experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ivezić, Željko

2018-05-01

The Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST), a next generation astronomical survey, sited on Cerro Pachon in Chile, will provide an unprecedented amount of imaging data for studies of the faint optical sky. The LSST system includes an 8.4m (6.7m effective) primary mirror and a 3.2 Gigapixel camera with a 9.6 sq. deg. field of view. This system will enable about 10,000 sq. deg. of sky to be covered twice per night, every three to four nights on average, with typical 5-sigma depth for point sources of r = 24.5 (AB). With over 800 observations in the ugrizy bands over a 10-year period, these data will enable coadded images reaching r = 27.5 (about 5 magnitudes deeper than SDSS) as well as studies of faint time-domain astronomy. The measured properties of newly discovered and known astrometric and photometric transients will be publicly reported within 60 sec after closing the shutter. The resulting hundreds of petabytes of imaging data for about 40 billion objects will be used for scientific investigations ranging from the properties of near-Earth asteroids to characterizations of dark matter and dark energy. For example, simulations estimate that LSST will discover about 1,000 quasars at redshifts exceeding 7; this sample will place tight constraints on the cosmic environment at the end of the reionization epoch. In addition to a brief introduction to LSST, I review the value of LSST data in support of epoch of reionization experiments and discuss how international participants can join LSST.

Phenomenological Modeling of Newly Discovered Eclipsing Binary 2MASS J18024395 + 4003309 = VSX J180243.9+400331

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andronov, Ivan L.; Kim, Yonggi; Kim, Young-Hee; Yoon, Joh-Na; Chinarova, Lidia L.; Tkachenko, Mariia G.

2015-06-01

We present a by-product of our long term photometric monitoring of cataclysmic variables. 2MASS J18024395 +4003309 = VSX J180243.9 +400331 was discovered in the field of the intermediate polar V1323 Her observed using the Korean 1-m telescope located at Mt. Lemmon, USA. An analysis of the two-color VR CCD observations of this variable covers all the phase intervals for the first time. The light curves show this object can be classified as an Algol-type variable with tidally distorted components, and an asymmetry of the maxima (the O'Connell effect). The periodogram analysis confirms the cycle numbering of Andronov et al. (2012) and for the initial approximation, the ephemeris is used as follows: Min I. BJD = 2456074.4904+0.3348837E . For phenomenological modeling, we used the trigonometric polynomial approximation of statistically optimal degree, and a recent method "NAV" ("New Algol Variable") using local specific shapes for the eclipse. Methodological aspects and estimates of the physical parameters based on analysis of phenomenological parameters are presented. As results of our phenomenological model, we obtained for the inclination i=90°, M1=0.745M⊙, M2=0.854M⊙, M=M1+M2=1.599M⊙, the orbital separation a=1.65°109m=2.37R⊙ and relative radii r1=R1/a=0.314 and r2=R2/a=0.360. These estimates may be used as preliminary starting values for further modeling using extended physical models based on the Wilson & Devinney (1971) code and it's extensions