The localization of multiple cathepsin mRNAs in the seminiferous epithelium by in situ hybridization is consistent with their role in germ cell (GC) migration

Abstract no. 707published_or_final_versio

Alternative RNA Splicing Expands the Developmental Plasticity of Flowering Transition

Precise control of the developmental phase transitions, which ranges from seed germination to flowering induction and senescence, is essential for propagation and reproductive success in plants. Flowering induction represents the vegetative-to-reproductive phase transition. An extensive array of genes controlling the flowering transition has been identified, and signaling pathways that incorporate endogenous and environmental cues into the developmental phase transition have been explored in various plant species. Notably, recent accumulating evidence indicate that multiple transcripts are often produced from many of the flowering time genes via alternative RNA splicing, which is known to diversify the transcriptomes and proteasomes in eukaryotes. It is particularly interesting that some alternatively spliced protein isoforms, including COβ and FT2β, function differentially from or even act as competitive inhibitors of the corresponding functional proteins by forming non-functional heterodimers. The alternative splicing events of the flowering time genes are modulated by developmental and environmental signals. It is thus necessary to elucidate molecular schemes controlling alternative splicing and functional characterization of splice protein variants for understanding how genetic diversity and developmental plasticity of the flowering transition are achieved in optimizing the time of flowering under changing climates. In this review, we present current knowledge on the alternative splicing-driven control of flowering time. In addition, we discuss physiological and biochemical importance of the alternative splicing events that occur during the flowering transition as a molecular means of enhancing plant adaptation capabilities

The Effects of MP3 Compression on Perceived Emotional Characteristics in Musical Instruments

Musical instrument sounds have distinct timbral and emotional characteristics, and when audio processes are applied to them their timbral and emotional characteristics are changed. This paper investigates the effects of MP3 compression on the emotional characteristics of eight sustained instrument sounds using a listening test. We compared the compressed sounds pairwise over ten emotional categories at several bit rates. The results showed that MP3 compression strengthened neutral and negative emotional characteristics such as Mysterious, Shy, Scary, and Sad; and weakened positive emotional characteristics such as Happy, Heroic, Romantic, Comic, and Calm. Interestingly, Angry was relatively unaffected by MP3 compression. Probably, the background “growl” artifacts added by MP3 compression decreased positive emotional characteristics and increased negative characteristics such as Mysterious and Scary. For instruments, MP3 compression effected some instruments more and others less. The trumpet was the most effected and the horn by far the least

The Effects of MP3 Compression on Emotional Characteristics

Previous research has shown that MP3 compression changes the similarities of musical instruments, while other research has shown that musical instrument sounds have strong emotional characteristics. This paper investigates the effect of MP3 compression on music emotion. We conducted listening tests to compare the effect of MP3 compression on the emotional characteristics of eight sustained instrument sounds. We compared the compressed sounds pairwise over ten emotional categories. The results show that MP3 compression strengthened the emotional characteristics Sad, Scary, Shy, and Mysterious, and weakened Happy, Heroic, Romantic, Comic, and Calm. Interestingly, Angry was relatively unaffected by MP3 compression

Oxygen Partial Pressure during Pulsed Laser Deposition: Deterministic Role on Thermodynamic Stability of Atomic Termination Sequence at SrRuO3/BaTiO3 Interface

With recent trends on miniaturizing oxide-based devices, the need for atomic-scale control of surface/interface structures by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) has increased. In particular, realizing uniform atomic termination at the surface/interface is highly desirable. However, a lack of understanding on the surface formation mechanism in PLD has limited a deliberate control of surface/interface atomic stacking sequences. Here, taking the prototypical SrRuO3/BaTiO3/SrRuO3 (SRO/BTO/SRO) heterostructure as a model system, we investigated the formation of different interfacial termination sequences (BaO-RuO2 or TiO2-SrO) with oxygen partial pressure (PO2) during PLD. We found that a uniform SrO-TiO2 termination sequence at the SRO/BTO interface can be achieved by lowering the PO2 to 5 mTorr, regardless of the total background gas pressure (Ptotal), growth mode, or growth rate. Our results indicate that the thermodynamic stability of the BTO surface at the low-energy kinetics stage of PLD can play an important role in surface/interface termination formation. This work paves the way for realizing termination engineering in functional oxide heterostructures.Comment: 27 pages, 6 figures, Supporting Informatio

Green Tea Consumption and Stomach Cancer Risk: A Meta-Analysis

OBJECTIVES: Green tea has been suggested to have a chemopreventive effect against various cancers including stomach cancer. The aim of this study is to elucidate the relationship between green tea consumption and stomach cancer risk by meta-analysis. METHODS: Eighteen observational studies were identified using MEDLINE, THE COCHRANE LIBRARY, RISS, and a manual search. Summary relative risks/odds ratios (RR/ORs) for the highest versus non/lowest green tea consumption levels were calculated on the basis of fixed and random effect models. Subgroup analyses were used to examine heterogeneity across the studies. RESULTS: The combined results indicate a reduced risk of stomach cancer with intake of green tea (RR/OR=0.86, 95% CI=0.74-1.00). Subgroup analysis with six studies that reported differences between the highest and lowest consumption levels equal to or greater than five cups/day revealed a statistically significant protective effect (RR/OR=0.68, 95% CI=0.53-0.87). CONCLUSION: Green tea appears to play a protective role against the development of stomach cancer. The results also suggest that a higher level of green tea consumption might be needed for a clear preventive effect to appear. This conclusion, however, should be interpreted with caution because various biases can affect the results of a meta-analysis.ope

The Prevalence of Hepatitis C Virus Infection in Korea: Pooled Analysis

This study evaluated the prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections in Korea. Pooled estimates of the anti-HCV positivity were calculated using the data published in 15 reports on the general population and health check-up examinees. The overall pooled estimate of the prevalence of HCV among middle-aged adults (40 yr old and above) was 1.68% (95% confidence interval: 1.51-1.86%) during the year of 1990-2000 among the general population. Most of the published data indicated that the prevalence of anti-HCV increased with age. The anti-HCV positivity was significantly higher in females than in males. Because the risk of HCV exposure in blood recipients has decreased remarkably, the spread of HCV through means other than a transfusion must be prevented

Angiolipoma of the Posterior Mediastinum with Extension into the Spinal Canal: A Case Report

Angiolipoma is a rare benign soft tissue tumor, an unusual variant of lipoma, consisting of fatty and vascular components and located in the subcutis, usually in the trunk and extremities. We report a case of posterior mediastinal angiolipoma extending into the spinal canal and showing both fat and angiomatous features on CT scan

Developmental programming of thermonastic leaf movement

Plants exhibit diverse polar behaviors in response to directional and non-directional environmental signals, termed tropic and nastic movements, respectively. The ways in which plants incorporate directional information into tropic behaviors is well understood, but it is less well understood how non-directional stimuli, such as ambient temperatures, specify the polarity of nastic behaviors. Here, we demonstrate that a developmentally programmed polarity of auxin flow underlies thermo-induced leaf hyponasty in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). In warm environments, PHYTOCHROME-INTERACTING FACTOR 4 (PIF4) stimulates auxin production in the leaf. This results in the accumulation of auxin in leaf petioles, where PIF4 directly activates a gene encoding the PINOID (PID) protein kinase. PID is involved in polarization of the auxin transporter PIN-FORMED 3 to the outer membranes of petiole cells. Notably, the leaf polarity-determining ASYMMETRIC LEAVES 1 (AS1) directs the induction of PID to occur predominantly in the abaxial petiole region. These observations indicate that the integration of PIF4-mediated auxin biosynthesis and polar transport, and the AS1-mediated developmental shaping of polar auxin flow, coordinate leaf thermonasty, which facilitates leaf cooling in warm environments. We believe that leaf thermonasty is a suitable model system for studying the developmental programming of environmental adaptation in plants