9,352 research outputs found
HIF and c-Myc: Sibling Rivals for Control of Cancer Cell Metabolism and Proliferation
Get PDFO2 deprivation (hypoxia) and cellular proliferation engage opposite cellular pathways, yet often coexist during tumor growth. The ability of cells to grow during hypoxia results in part from crosstalk between hypoxia-inducible factors (HIFs) and the proto-oncogene c-Myc. Acting alone, HIF and c-Myc partially regulate complex adaptations undertaken by tumor cells growing in low O2. However, acting in concert these transcription factors reprogram metabolism, protein synthesis, and cell cycle progression, to “fine tune” adaptive responses to hypoxic environments
Cosmological Constraints on a Dynamical Electron Mass
Full text linkMotivated by recent astrophysical observations of quasar absorption systems,
we formulate a simple theory where the electron to proton mass ratio is allowed to vary in space-time. In such a minimal theory only
the electron mass varies, with and kept constant. We find
that changes in will be driven by the electronic energy density after
the electron mass threshold is crossed. Particle production in this scenario is
negligible. The cosmological constraints imposed by recent astronomical
observations are very weak, due to the low mass density in electrons. Unlike in
similar theories for spacetime variation of the fine structure constant, the
observational constraints on variations in imposed by the weak
equivalence principle are much more stringent constraints than those from
quasar spectra. Any time-variation in the electron-proton mass ratio must be
less than one part in since redshifts This is more than
one thousand times smaller than current spectroscopic sensitivities can
achieve. Astronomically observable variations in the electron-proton must
therefore arise directly from effects induced by varying fine structure
'constant' or by processes associated with internal proton structure. We also
place a new upper bound of on any large-scale spatial
variation of that is compatible with the isotropy of the microwave
background radiation.Comment: New bounds from weak equivalence principle experiments added,
conclusions modifie
Evidence for an evolutionarily conserved interaction between cell wall biosynthesis and flowering in maize and sorghum
Get PDFBACKGROUND: Factors that affect flowering vary among different plant species, and in the grasses in particular the exact mechanism behind this transition is not fully understood. The brown midrib (bm) mutants of maize (Zea mays L.), which have altered cell wall composition, have different flowering dynamics compared to their wild-type counterparts. This is indicative of a link between cell wall biogenesis and flowering. In order to test whether this relationship also exists in other grasses, the flowering dynamics in sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) were investigated. Sorghum is evolutionarily closely related to maize, and a set of brown midrib (bmr) mutants similar to the maize bm mutants is available, making sorghum a suitable choice for study in this context. RESULTS: We compared the flowering time (time to half-bloom) of several different bmr sorghum lines and their wild-type counterparts. This revealed that the relationship between cell wall composition and flowering was conserved in sorghum. Specifically, the mutant bmr7 flowered significantly earlier than the corresponding wild-type control, whereas the mutants bmr2, bmr4, bmr6, bmr12, and bmr19 flowered later than their wild-type controls. CONCLUSION: The change in flowering dynamics in several of the brown midrib sorghum lines provides evidence for an evolutionarily conserved mechanism that links cell wall biosynthesis to flowering dynamics. The availability of the sorghum bmr mutants expands the germplasm available to investigate this relationship in further detail
An improved radiosynthesis of O‐(2‐[18F]fluoroethyl)‐O‐(p‐nitrophenyl)methylphosphonate: A first‐in‐class cholinesterase PET tracer
Get PDFO-(2-Fluoroethyl)-O-(p-nitrophenyl) methylphosphonate 1 is an organophosphate cholinesterase inhibitor that creates a phosphonyl-serine covalent adduct at the enzyme active site blocking cholinesterase activity in vivo. The corresponding radiolabeled O-(2-[18 F]fluoroethyl)-O-(p-nitrophenyl) methylphosphonate, [18 F]1, has been previously prepared and found to be an excellent positron emission tomography imaging tracer for assessment of cholinesterases in live brain, peripheral tissues, and blood. However, the previously reported [18 F]1 tracer synthesis was slow even with microwave acceleration, required high-performance liquid chromatography separation of the tracer from impurities, and gave less optimal radiochemical yields. In this paper, we report a new synthetic approach to circumvent these shortcomings that is reliant on the facile reactivity of bis-(O,O-p-nitrophenyl) methylphosphonate, 2, with 2-fluoroethanol in the presence of DBU. The cold synthesis was successfully translated to provide a more robust radiosynthesis. Using this new strategy, the desired tracer, [18 F]1, was obtained in a non-decay-corrected radiochemical yield of 8 ± 2% (n = 7) in >99% radiochemical and >95% chemical purity with a specific activity of 3174 ± 345 Ci/mmol (EOS). This new facile radiosynthesis routinely affords highly pure quantities of [18 F]1, which will further enable tracer development of OP cholinesterase inhibitors and their evaluation in vivo
GRACE Measurements of Mass Variability in the Earth System
Get PDFMonthly gravity field estimates made by the twin Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellites have a geoid height accuracy of 2 to 3 millimeters at a spatial resolution as small as 400 kilometers. The annual cycle in the geoid variations, up to 10 millimeters in some regions, peaked predominantly in the spring and fall seasons. Geoid variations observed over South America that can be largely attributed to surface water and groundwater changes show a clear separation between the large Amazon watershed and the smaller watersheds to the north. Such observations will help hydrologists to connect processes at traditional length scales (tens of kilometers or less) to those at regional and global scales
NMFS / Interagency Working Group Evaluation of CITES Criteria and Guidelines.
Get PDFEXECUTIVE SUMMARY: At present, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) criteria used to assess whether a population qualifies for inclusion in the CITES Appendices relate to (A) size of the population, (B) area of distribution of the population, and (C) declines in the size of the population. Numeric guidelines are provided as indicators of a small population (less than 5,000 individuals), a small subpopulation (less than 500 individuals), a restricted area of distribution for a population (less than 10,000 km2), a restricted area of distribution for a subpopula-tion (less than 500 km2), a high rate of decline (a decrease of 50% or more in total within 5 years or two generations whichever is longer or, for a small wild population, a decline of 20% or more in total within ten years or three generations whichever is longer), large fluctuations (population size or area of distribution varies widely, rapidly and frequently, with a variation greater than one order of magnitude), and a short-term fluctuation (one of two years or less).
The Working Group discussed several broad issues of relevance to the CITES criteria and guidelines. These included the importance of the historical extent of decline versus the recent rate of decline; the utility and validity of incorporating relative population productivity into decline criteria; the utility of absolute numbers for defining small populations or small areas; the appropriateness of generation times as time frames for examining declines; the importance of the magnitude and frequency of fluctuations as factors affecting risk of extinction; and the overall utility of numeric thresh-olds or guidelines
Speech outcomes of a national cohort of children with orofacial cleft at 5 and 10 years of age
Get PDFSYSTEM AND METHOD ENABLING SIMULTANEOUS INVESTIGATION OF SAMPLE WITH TWO BEAMS OF ELECTROMAGNETIC RADATION
Get PDFDisclosed are System and method for characterizing a System consisting of a fluid Sample on a two sided Stage, utilizing data obtained by applying, from both sides thereof, beams of electromagnetic radiation to a fluid coated Surface in a containing cell Volume. The beams can have the same or different wavelength content and/or polarization State, and can be applied at the same or different magnitude angles-of-incidence, and a third typically unpolarized beam can be applied at a normal angle-of-incidence
SYSTEM AND METHOD ENABLING SIMULTANEOUS INVESTIGATION OF SAMPLE WITH TWO BEAMS OF ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
Get PDFDisclosed are system and method for a characterizing system consisting of a fluid sample on a two-sided stage, utilizing data obtained by applying, from both sides thereof, beams of electromagnetic radiation to a fluid coated surface in a containing cell volume. The beams can have the same or different wavelength content and/or polarization state and can be applied at the same or different magnitude angles-of-incidence, and a third typically unpolarized beam can be applied at a normal angle-of-incidence
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