Open string theory and planar algebras

In this note we show that abstract planar algebras are algebras over the topological operad of moduli spaces of stable maps with Lagrangian boundary conditions, which in the case of the projective line are described in terms of real rational functions. These moduli spaces appear naturally in the formulation of open string theory on the projective line. We also show two geometric ways to obtain planar algebras from real algebraic geometry, one based on string topology and one on Gromov-Witten theory. In particular, through the well known relation between planar algebras and subfactors, these results establish a connection between open string theory, real algebraic geometry, and subfactors of von Neumann algebras.Comment: 13 pages, LaTeX, 7 eps figure

Effect of Air Injection on Nucleation Rates: An Approach from Induction Time Statistics

From disruption of the supersaturated solution to improved mass transfer in the crystallizing suspension, the introduction of a moving gas phase in a crystallizer could lead to improved rates of nucleation and crystal growth. In this work, saturated air has been injected to batch crystallizers to study the effects on formation of the first crystal and subsequent turbidity buildup. To account for the typically large sample-to-sample variation, nucleation rates were evaluated for a large number of replicates using probability distributions of induction times. The slope and the intercept of the distributions were studied independently, allowing the simultaneous determination of the mean induction time and a certain detection delay related to the rate of crystal growth after formation of the first nucleus. When saturated air was injected in aqueous glycine solutions, the average detection delay was reduced from 69 to 13 min, and the mean induction time decreased from 128 to 36 min. The effect on aqueous solutions of l-arginine was less apparent, with a detection delay reduction from 15 to 3 min, and no significant changes on the rate of primary nucleation. These results demonstrate the potential of this technique for reduction in nucleation induction time and improved mass deposition rates in crystallization operations

Aplinkos įtaka duoninių (Triticum aestivum L.) ir kietųjų (Triticum durum Desf.) kviečių albuminų kiekiui

Albumins or water soluble proteins (wsp) in wheat are important as nutrients containing high content of essential amino acids such as lysine, tryptophan, methionine, and also asparagine, glutamine, arginine, and proline in comparison to storage proteins-glutenins and gliadins. Fifteen bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and 15 durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.) genotypes were evaluated across six different environments for two years to determine the content of albumins in grains. The purpose of this research was to determine the variability of the albumins content of the tested bread wheat and durum wheat genotypes, effects of environment, genotype and their interaction (GEI) on the trait of interest, heritability in a broad sense, stability, and also to interpret GEI by climatic factors modelling. The statistical procedure included analysis of variance, sites regression and factorial regression. The mean content of albumins was 20.23 g kg-1 in bread wheat and 23.12 g kg-1 in durum wheat. Environment followed by GEI was the most important in determining albumins content. The heritability in a broad sense was low, i.e. 31.3% for bread wheat and only 2.4% for durum wheat. GEI for the albumins content was explained with the efficacy of 94.7% and 94.2% of sum of squares, for bread wheat and durum wheat, respectively, by the following models: mean temperature in May, winter moisture reserves, minimum temperature in April and March for bread wheat; and precipitation sum in April, sunshine hours sum in March, maximum temperature in May, and winter moisture reserves for durum wheat. The simultaneous selection for high albumins content and good stability proved to be possible for bread wheat genotypes, but less for durum wheat genotypes due to unsatisfactory stability

βIII-tubulin: a novel mediator of chemoresistance and metastases in pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths in Western societies. This poor prognosis is due to chemotherapeutic drug resistance and metastatic spread. Evidence suggests that microtubule proteins namely, β-tubulins are dysregulated in tumor cells and are involved in regulating chemosensitivity. However, the role of β-tubulins in pancreatic cancer are unknown. We measured the expression of different β-tubulin isotypes in pancreatic adenocarcinoma tissue and pancreatic cancer cells. Next, we used RNAi to silence βIII-tubulin expression in pancreatic cancer cells, and measured cell growth in the absence and presence of chemotherapeutic drugs. Finally, we assessed the role of βIII-tubulin in regulating tumor growth and metastases using an orthotopic pancreatic cancer mouse model. We found that βIII-tubulin is highly expressed in pancreatic adenocarcinoma tissue and pancreatic cancer cells. Further, we demonstrated that silencing βIII-tubulin expression reduced pancreatic cancer cell growth and tumorigenic potential in the absence and presence of chemotherapeutic drugs. Finally, we demonstrated that suppression of βIII-tubulin reduced tumor growth and metastases in vivo. Our novel data demonstrate that βIII-tubulin is a key player in promoting pancreatic cancer growth and survival, and silencing its expression may be a potential therapeutic strategy to increase the long-term survival of pancreatic cancer patients

Prognostic significance of the expression of GFRα1, GFRα3 and Syndecan-3, Proteins binding ARTEMIN, In mammary carcinoma

10.1186/1471-2407-13-34BMC Cancer13-BCMA

Frequency of Agenesis Palmaris Longus through Clinical Examination - An East African Study

INTRODUCTION: The Palmaris longus, one of the most variable muscles in the body both flexes the wrist and tenses the palmar fascia. It is used by surgeons as a source of tendon graft and racial differences in its variation have been documented. We sought to determine the frequency of the absence of the Palmaris longus in an East African population. METHODS: A prospective study was conducted using ten common clinical tests among patients and students in a large teaching hospital in East Africa to determine the presence of a Palmaris longus. RESULTS: The overall rate of absence was 4.4% with unilateral absence at 3.3% and bilateral absence at 1.1%. The overall difference between males and females was not statistically significant (p = 0.605). Participants were more likely to have absence in their non dominant hand. DISCUSSION: Our findings though in contrast to many studies worldwide, it concurs with most studies done in the African setting. These differences may be due to the higher levels of manual labour and the more use of the right hand in these activities. The frequency of the absence of Palmaris longus in East Africa has been determined. Surgeons should acquaint themselves with prevalence in their areas of practice

Evaluating the Clinical Validity of Gene-Disease Associations: An Evidence-Based Framework Developed by the Clinical Genome Resource

Supplemental Data Supplemental Data include 65 figures and can be found with this article online at http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ajhg.2017.04.015. Supplemental Data Document S1. Figures S1–S65 Download Document S2. Article plus Supplemental Data Download Web Resources ClinGen, https://www.clinicalgenome.org/ ClinGen Gene Curation, https://www.clinicalgenome.org/working-groups/gene-curation/ ClinGen Gene Curation SOP, https://www.clinicalgenome.org/working-groups/gene-curation/projects-initiatives/gene-disease-clinical-validity-sop/ ClinGen Knowledge Base, https://search.clinicalgenome.org/kb/agents/sign_up OMIM, http://www.omim.org/ Orphanet, http://www.orpha.net/consor/cgi-bin/index.php With advances in genomic sequencing technology, the number of reported gene-disease relationships has rapidly expanded. However, the evidence supporting these claims varies widely, confounding accurate evaluation of genomic variation in a clinical setting. Despite the critical need to differentiate clinically valid relationships from less well-substantiated relationships, standard guidelines for such evaluation do not currently exist. The NIH-funded Clinical Genome Resource (ClinGen) has developed a framework to define and evaluate the clinical validity of gene-disease pairs across a variety of Mendelian disorders. In this manuscript we describe a proposed framework to evaluate relevant genetic and experimental evidence supporting or contradicting a gene-disease relationship and the subsequent validation of this framework using a set of representative gene-disease pairs. The framework provides a semiquantitative measurement for the strength of evidence of a gene-disease relationship that correlates to a qualitative classification: “Definitive,” “Strong,” “Moderate,” “Limited,” “No Reported Evidence,” or “Conflicting Evidence.” Within the ClinGen structure, classifications derived with this framework are reviewed and confirmed or adjusted based on clinical expertise of appropriate disease experts. Detailed guidance for utilizing this framework and access to the curation interface is available on our website. This evidence-based, systematic method to assess the strength of gene-disease relationships will facilitate more knowledgeable utilization of genomic variants in clinical and research settings

ARTEMIN Promotes De Novo Angiogenesis in ER Negative Mammary Carcinoma through Activation of TWIST1-VEGF-A Signalling

10.1371/journal.pone.0050098PLoS ONE711

Landmarking the brain for geometric morphometric analysis: An error study

Neuroanatomic phenotypes are often assessed using volumetric analysis. Although powerful and versatile, this approach is limited in that it is unable to quantify changes in shape, to describe how regions are interrelated, or to determine whether changes in size are global or local. Statistical shape analysis using coordinate data from biologically relevant landmarks is the preferred method for testing these aspects of phenotype. To date, approximately fifty landmarks have been used to study brain shape. Of the studies that have used landmark-based statistical shape analysis of the brain, most have not published protocols for landmark identification or the results of reliability studies on these landmarks. The primary aims of this study were two-fold: (1) to collaboratively develop detailed data collection protocols for a set of brain landmarks, and (2) to complete an intra- and inter-observer validation study of the set of landmarks. Detailed protocols were developed for 29 cortical and subcortical landmarks using a sample of 10 boys aged 12 years old. Average intra-observer error for the final set of landmarks was 1.9 mm with a range of 0.72 mm-5.6 mm. Average inter-observer error was 1.1 mm with a range of 0.40 mm-3.4 mm. This study successfully establishes landmark protocols with a minimal level of error that can be used by other researchers in the assessment of neuroanatomic phenotypes. © 2014 Chollet et al