Oxygen isotopic composition of early Eocene fishapatite from hole 913 B, ODP Leg 151: An indicator of the early Norwegian-Greenland Sea paleosalinity

Fish-apatite (teeth and bone fragments) of early Eocene age from Ocean Drilling Program Hole 913B (Greenland Basin) was analyzed, in the absence of biogenic calcite, for stable isotopic (δ1 8θco,2~, δ13C) composition to determine paleosalinity. Comparisons are made with isotopic results for early Eocene fish-apatite from Deep Sea Drilling Project (DSDP) Hole 550 (northeastern Atlantic) and the R0snaεs Clay Formation (Denmark). These two sites represent fully marine and semimarine conditions, respectively. The δ^Ocα,2- values of the fish-apatite from Hole 913B are 4.3%o to 8.1%c more negative than the fish-apatite values from DSDP Hole 550, and 1.9%o to 6.1%o more negative than the values from the R0snses Clay Formation. The results indicate reduced salinity in the early Eocene Greenland Basin relative to the open ocean. Using the present salinity/ δ'8O relationship in the North Atlantic, the salinity in the Greenland Basin was 22 ppt to 28 ppt. The reduced salinity is in agreement with an isolated early Eocene Greenland Basin, as suggested in earlier geophysical and paleontological studies. It is also likely that other parts of the Norwegian-Greenland Sea, such as the Lofoten Basin, exhibited brackish water conditions. Because of similar oxygen-isotopic composition of fish-apatite and excellently preserved foraminifer tests in the samples from the R0snaεs Clay Formation as well as DSDP Hole 550, we consider the fish-apatite δ1 8θco,2 - t o be a reliable instrument for paleosalinity determination. It is possible that the fish-apatite was exposed to diagenesis and isotopic reequilibration shortly after deposition on the seafloor. This should not, however, reduce the possibility of using δ1 8θco,2 - as an indicator of paleosalinity, because both δ1 8θ and salinity usually are very similar in the uppermost pore water and the overlying water mass. The fish-apatite δ13C values may support that early diagenesis has affected the original isotopic signal. The values seem to be related to the organic carbon content of the sediment as the lowest δ13C values, -4.6%c to -10.5%o, are found in the fish-apatite from the very dark sediment of Hole 913B, whereas the highest δ13C values, +0.6‰ to -1.7%o, are found in the pale, oxidized sediment of DSDP Hole 550

Production of pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) by a vaccinia virus transient expression system and in vitro processing of the expressed prohormone by POMC-converting enzyme

AbstractPro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) was expressed in CV-1 (green monkey kidney) cells using a vaccinia virus transient expression system [(1986) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 83, 8122]. The system involved infection of cells with a recombinant vaccinia virus carrying the T7 RNA polymerase gene and transfection with a plasmid containing the mouse POMC sequence flanked by the T7 RNA polymerase promoter at its 5′-end and the T7 RNA polymerase terminator at its 3′-end. Assay of the medium from transfected cells showed that 1–2 μg of immunoreactive ACTH was produced/106 cells. Analysis of the same medium by SDS-PAGE/Western blots revealed a band of 30–36 kDa, which was immunostained with both ACTH and β-endorphin antisera. Labeling the transfected cells with [3H]Arg, followed by immunoprecipitation and SDS-PAGE showed the synthesis of a major peak of POMC, 33 kDa. Purified [3H]POMC expressed by CV-1 cells was cleaved in vitro by bovine intermediate lobe secretory vesicle pro-opiomelanocortin-converting enzyme to ACTH intermediates (19–25 kDa), β-lipotropin and β-endorphin. Thus, this work has demonstrated a technique for expressing microgram quantities of prohormones in mammalian cells, suitable for use as substrates for prohormone-converting enzymes in vitro

Static cylindrically symmetric spacetimes

We prove existence of static solutions to the cylindrically symmetric Einstein-Vlasov system, and we show that the matter cylinder has finite extension. The same results are also proved for a quite general class of equations of state for perfect fluids coupled to the Einstein equations, extending the class of equations of state considered in \cite{BL}. We also obtain this result for the Vlasov-Poisson system.Comment: Added acknowledgemen

TRANSFoRm eHealth solution for quality of life monitoring.

Patient Recorded Outcome Measures (PROMs) are an essential part of quality of life monitoring, clinical trials, improvement studies and other medical tasks. Recently, web and mobile technologies have been explored as means of improving the response rates and quality of data collected. Despite the potential benefit of this approach, there are currently no widely accepted standards for developing or implementing PROMs in CER (Comparative Effectiveness Research). Within the European Union project Transform (Translational Research and Patient Safety in Europe) an eHealth solution for quality of life monitoring has been developed and validated. This paper presents the overall architecture of the system as well as a detailed description of the mobile and web applications

A Fluorescent Kinase Inhibitor that Exhibits Diagnostic Changes in Emission upon Binding

The development of a fluorescent LCK inhibitor that exhibits favourable solvatochromic properties upon binding the kinase is described. Fluorescent properties were realised through the inclusion of a prodan-derived fluorophore into the pharmacophore of an ATP-competitive kinase inhibitor. Fluorescence titration experiments demonstrate the solvatochromic properties of the inhibitor, in which dramatic increase in emission intensity and hypsochromic shift in emission maxima are clearly observed upon binding LCK. Microscopy experiments in cellular contexts together with flow cytometry show that the fluorescence intensity of the inhibitor correlates with the LCK concentration. Furthermore, multiphoton microscopy experiments demonstrate both the rapid cellular uptake of the inhibitor and that the two-photon cross section of the inhibitor is amenable for excitation at 700 nm

Phonon spectra of pure and acceptor doped BaZrO3 investigated with visible and UV Raman spectroscopy

We report results from visible and UV Raman spectroscopy studies of the phonon spectra of a polycrystalline sample of the prototypical perovskite type oxide BaZrO3 and a 500 nm thick film of its Y-doped, proton conducting, counterpart BaZr0.8Y0.2O2.9. Analysis of the Raman spectra measured using different excitation energies (between 3.44 eV and 5.17 eV) reveals the activation of strong resonance Raman effects involving all lattice vibrational modes. Specifically, two characteristic energies were identified for BaZrO3, one around 5 eV and one at higher energy, respectively, and one for BaZr0.8Y0.2O2.9, above 5 eV. Apart from the large difference in spectral intensity between the non-resonant and resonant conditions, the spectra are overall similar to each other, suggesting that the vibrational spectra of the perovskites are stable when investigated using an UV laser as excitation source. These results encourage further use of UV Raman spectroscopy as a novel approach for the study of lattice vibrational dynamics and local structure in proton conducting perovskites, and open up for, e.g., time-resolved experiments on thin films targeted at understanding the role of lattice vibrations in proton transport in these kinds of materials

Gravastar energy conditions revisited

We consider the gravastar model where the vacuum phase transition between the de Sitter interior and the Schwarzschild or Schwarzschild-de Sitter exterior geometries takes place at a single spherical delta-shell. We derive sharp analytic bounds on the surface compactness (2m/r) that follow from the requirement that the dominant energy condition (DEC) holds at the shell. In the case of Schwarzschild exterior, the highest surface compactness is achieved with the stiff shell in the limit of vanishing (dark) energy density in the interior. In the case of Schwarzschild-de Sitter exterior, in addition to the gravastar configurations with the shell under surface pressure, gravastar configurations with vanishing shell pressure (dust shells), as well as configurations with the shell under surface tension, are allowed by the DEC. Respective bounds on the surface compactness are derived for all cases. We also consider the speed of sound on the shell as derived from the requirement that the shell is stable against the radial perturbations. The causality requirement (sound speed not exceeding that of light) further restricts the space of allowed gravastar configurations.Comment: LaTeX/IOP-style, 16 pages, 2 figures, changes wrt v1: motivation for eq. (6) clarified, several referecnes added (to appear in Class. Quantum Grav.

Analytical and clinical validation of a blood progranulin ELISA in frontotemporal dementias

Heterozygous mutations in the granulin (GRN) gene may result in haploinsufficiency of progranulin (PGRN), which might lead to frontotemporal dementia (FTD). In this study, we aimed to perform analytical and clinical validation of a commercial progranulin kit for clinical use. Analytical validation parameters including assay precision, selectivity, measurement range, dilution linearity, interferences and sample stability were tested according to previously described procedures. For clinical validation, PGRN levels were measured in plasma from 32 cognitively healthy individuals, 52 confirmed GRN mutation carriers, 25 C9orf72 mutation carriers and 216 patients with different neurodegenerative diseases of which 70 were confirmed as non-mutation carriers. Among the analytical validation parameters, assay precision and repeatability were very stable (coefficients of variation <7 %). Spike recovery was 96 %, the measurement range was 6.25-400 μg/L and dilution linearity ranged from 1:50-1:200. Hemolysis did not interfere with progranulin levels, and these were resistant to freeze/thaw cycles and storage at different temperatures. For the clinical validation, the assay was capable of distinguishing GRN mutation carriers from controls and non-GRN mutation carriers with very good sensitivity and specificity at a cut-off of 57 μg/L (97 %, 100 %, respectively). In this study, we demonstrate robust analytical and diagnostic performance of this commercial progranulin kit for implementation in clinical laboratory practice. This easy-to-use test allows identification of potential GRN mutation carriers, which may guide further evaluation of the patient. This assay might also be used to evaluate the effect of novel PGRN-targeting drugs and therapies

Improving Fatigue Resistance of Dihydropyrene by Encapsulation within a Coordination Cage

Photochromic molecules undergo reversible isomerization upon irradiation with light at different wavelengths, a process that can alter their physical and chemical properties. For instance, dihydropyrene (DHP) is a deep-colored compound that isomerizes to light-brown cyclophanediene (CPD) upon irradiation with visible light. CPD can then isomerize back to DHP upon irradiation with UV light or thermally in the dark. Conversion between DHP and CPD is thought to proceed via a biradical intermediate; bimolecular events involving this unstable intermediate thus result in rapid decomposition and poor cycling performance. Here, we show that the reversible isomerization of DHP can be stabilized upon confinement within a PdII6L4 coordination cage. By protecting this reactive intermediate using the cage, each isomerization reaction proceeds to higher yield, which significantly decreases the fatigue experienced by the system upon repeated photocycling. Although molecular confinement is known to help stabilize reactive species, this effect is not typically employed to protect reactive intermediates and thus improve reaction yields. We envisage that performing reactions under confinement will not only improve the cyclic performance of photochromic molecules, but may also increase the amount of product obtainable from traditionally low-yielding organic reactions