Snow parameters from Nimbus-6 electrically scanned microwave radiometer

Two sites in Canada were selected for detailed analysis of the ESMR-6/ snow relationships. Data were analyzed for February 1976 for site 1 and January, February and March 1976 for site 2. Snowpack water equivalents were less than 4.5 inches for site 1 and, depending on the month, were between 2.9 and 14.5 inches for site 2. A statistically significant relationship was found between ESMR-6 measurements and snowpack water equivalents for the Site 2 February and March data. Associated analysis findings presented are the effects of random measurement errors, snow site physiolography, and weather conditions on the ESMR-6/snow relationship

Inhibition of glucocorticoid-induced apoptosis by targeting splice variants of \u3ci\u3eBIM\u3c/i\u3e mRNA with small interfering RNA and short hairpin RNA.

Glucocorticoids (GCs) induce apoptosis in lymphocytes and are effective agents for the treatment of leukemia. The activated glucocorticoid receptor (GR) initiates a transcriptional program leading to caspase activation and cell death, but the critical signaling intermediates in GC-induced apoptosis remain largely undefined. We have observed that GC induction of the three major protein products of the Bcl-2 relative Bim (BimEL, BimS and BimL) correlates with GC sensitivity in a panel of human pre-B acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) cell lines. To test the hypothesis that Bim facilitates GC-induced apoptosis, we reduced BIM mRNA levels and Bim protein levels by RNA interference (RNAi) in highly GC-sensitive pre-B ALL cells. Reducing Bim proteins by either electroporation of synthetic siRNA duplexes or lentiviral-mediated stable expression of shRNA inhibited activation of caspase-3 and increased cell viability following GC exposure. We also observed that the extent of GC resistance correlated with siRNA silencing potency. siRNA duplexes that reduced only BimEL or BimEL and BimL (but not BimS) exhibited less GC resistance than a potent siRNA that silenced all three major isoforms, implying that induction of all three Bim proteins contributes to cell death. Finally, the modulation of GC-induced apoptosis caused by Bim silencing was independent of Bcl-2 expression levels, negating the hypothesis that the ratio of Bim to Bcl-2 regulates apoptosis. These results offer evidence that induction of Bim by GC is a required event for the complete apoptotic response in pre-B ALL cells

Commutator Leavitt path algebras

For any field K and directed graph E, we completely describe the elements of the Leavitt path algebra L_K(E) which lie in the commutator subspace [L_K(E),L_K(E)]. We then use this result to classify all Leavitt path algebras L_K(E) that satisfy L_K(E)=[L_K(E),L_K(E)]. We also show that these Leavitt path algebras have the additional (unusual) property that all their Lie ideals are (ring-theoretic) ideals, and construct examples of such rings with various ideal structures.Comment: 24 page

Polymers near Metal Surfaces: Selective Adsorption and Global Conformations

We study the properties of a polycarbonate melt near a nickel surface as a model system for the interaction of polymers with metal surfaces by employing a multiscale modeling approach. For bulk properties a suitably coarse grained bead spring model is simulated by molecular dynamics (MD) methods with model parameters directly derived from quantum chemical calculations. The surface interactions are parameterized and incorporated by extensive quantum mechanical density functional calculations using the Car-Parrinello method. We find strong chemisorption of chain ends, resulting in significant modifications of the melt composition when compared to an inert wall.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures (2 color), 1 tabl

Evaluation of glucocorticoid sensitivity in 697 pre-B acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells after overexpression or silencing of MAP Kinase Phosphotase-1

PURPOSE: To determine the effect of reducing MAP kinase phosphatase-1 (MKP-1) levels on cell death induced by glucocorticoid (GC) or hydroxyurea (HU) treatment in the human pre-B acute lymphoblastic leukemia cell line 697. METHODS: Stable MKP-1 overexpressing transformants of the 697 pre-B ALL cell line were created and tested for sensitivity to the GC triamcinolone acetonide (TA) and HU, and compared to a control 697 cell line containing normal MKP-1 expression levels. Small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) were designed to inhibit MKP-1 expression and evaluated for their effect on GC-mediated cell death. RESULTS: MKP-1 overexpression caused a phenotype of partial resistance to HU-induced apoptosis but not to GC-induced apoptosis. Electroporation of siRNAs effectively silenced MKP-1 expression, and increased sensitivity to TA by 9.6±1.9%. CONCLUSIONS: Because MKP-1 protects certain tumor cells from chemotherapy-induced apoptosis, its inhibition is being considered as a possible strategy for combination cancer therapy. However, this study suggests that while MKP-1 inhibition may improve the efficacy of DNA damaging agents, it may have only limited utility in combination with glucocorticoids

Higher Order Methods for Simulations on Quantum Computers

To efficiently implement many-qubit gates for use in quantum simulations on quantum computers we develop and present methods reexpressing exp[-i (H_1 + H_2 + ...) \Delta t] as a product of factors exp[-i H_1 \Delta t], exp[-i H_2 \Delta t], ... which is accurate to 3rd or 4th order in \Delta t. The methods we derive are an extended form of symplectic method and can also be used for the integration of classical Hamiltonians on classical computers. We derive both integral and irrational methods, and find the most efficient methods in both cases.Comment: 21 pages, Latex, one figur

Investigating the social embeddedness of criminal groups: Longitudinal associations between masculine honour and legitimizing attitudes towards the Camorra

The embeddedness of criminal groups within communities accrues from their ability to establish legitimacy, particularly among young people. A prototypical example are mafia claims to political authority in Italy. Intracultural Appropriation Theory proposes that embeddedness is partly derived from criminal groups’ ability to embody cultural ideologies of masculine honour, and to reinforce these ideologies in society through their actions. We tested these propositions using a three-wave longitudinal design involving Italian adolescents from the Campania region (N1stwave = 1,173). We also examined an alternative explanation rooted in individuals’ generic acceptance of group-based hierarchies, i.e., social dominance orientation. The longitudinal design enabled us to examine for the first time both between- and within-person processes. Between-person results indicated that higher levels of the masculine honour ideology and social dominance were associated with stronger legitimizing attitudes towards the Camorra, a mafia-type group. Within-person effects revealed a positive reciprocal association between masculine honour and legitimizing attitudes. These findings emphasize the importance of culture-specific ideologies in sustaining the legitimacy of criminal groups

The B→Xsl+l−B\to X_sl^+l^- and B→XsγB\to X_s \gamma decays with the fourth generation

If the fourth generation fermions exist, the new quarks could influence the branching ratios of the decays of $B\to X_s \gamma$ and $B\to X_sl^+l^-$. We obtain two solutions of the fourth generation CKM factor $V^{*}_{t^{'}s}V_{t^{'}b}$ from the decay of $B\to X_s \gamma$. We use these two solutions to calculate the new contributions of the fourth generation quark to Wilson coefficients of the decay of $B\to X_sl^+l^-$. The branching ratio and the forward-backward asymmetry of the decay of $B\to X_sl^+l^-$ in the two cases are calculated. Our results are quite different from that of SM in one case, almost same in another case. If Nature chooses the formmer, the $B$ meson decays could provide a possible test of the forth generation existence.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figure