Interplanetary mission design handbook. Volume 1, part 2: Earth to Mars ballistic mission opportunities, 1990-2005

Graphical data necessary for the preliminary design of ballistic missions to Mars are provided. Contours of launch energy requirements, as well as many other launch and Mars arrival parameters, are presented in launch date/arrival date space for all launch opportunities from 1990 through 2005. In addition, an extensive text is included which explains mission design methods, from launch window development to Mars probe and orbiter arrival design, utilizing the graphical data as well as numerous equations relating various parameters

Planetary geometry handbook: Venus positional data, 1988 - 2020, volume 2

Graphical data necessary for the analysis of planetary exploration missions to Venus are presented. Positional and geometric information spanning the time period from 1988 through 2020 is provided. The data and the usage are explained

Planetary geometry handbook: Mars positional data, 1990 - 2020, volume 3

Graphical data necessary for the analysis of planetary exploration missions to Mars are presented. Positional and geometric information spanning the time period from 1990 through 2020 is provided. The data and usage are explained

Planetary geometry handbook: Jupiter positional data, 1985 - 2020, volume 4

Graphical data necessary for the analysis of planetary exploration missions to Jupiter are presented. Positional and geometric information spanning the time period from 1985 through 2020 is provided. The data and their usage are explained

Planetary geometry handbook: Saturn positional data, 1985 - 2020, volume 5

Graphical data necessary for the analysis of planetary exploration missions to Saturn are presented. Positional and geometric information spanning the time period from 1985 through 2020 is provided. The data and their usage are explained

Epigenetic memory in induced pluripotent stem cells.

Somatic cell nuclear transfer and transcription-factor-based reprogramming revert adult cells to an embryonic state, and yield pluripotent stem cells that can generate all tissues. Through different mechanisms and kinetics, these two reprogramming methods reset genomic methylation, an epigenetic modification of DNA that influences gene expression, leading us to hypothesize that the resulting pluripotent stem cells might have different properties. Here we observe that low-passage induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) derived by factor-based reprogramming of adult murine tissues harbour residual DNA methylation signatures characteristic of their somatic tissue of origin, which favours their differentiation along lineages related to the donor cell, while restricting alternative cell fates. Such an 'epigenetic memory' of the donor tissue could be reset by differentiation and serial reprogramming, or by treatment of iPSCs with chromatin-modifying drugs. In contrast, the differentiation and methylation of nuclear-transfer-derived pluripotent stem cells were more similar to classical embryonic stem cells than were iPSCs. Our data indicate that nuclear transfer is more effective at establishing the ground state of pluripotency than factor-based reprogramming, which can leave an epigenetic memory of the tissue of origin that may influence efforts at directed differentiation for applications in disease modelling or treatment

Species and Genotype Effects of Bioenergy Crops on Root Production, Carbon and Nitrogen in Temperate Agricultural Soil

Bioenergy crops have a secondary benefit if they increase soil organic C (SOC) stocks through capture and allocation below-ground. The effects of four genotypes of short-rotation coppice willow (Salix spp., ‘Terra Nova’ and ‘Tora’) and Miscanthus (M. × giganteus (‘Giganteus’) and M. sinensis (‘Sinensis’)) on roots, SOC and total nitrogen (TN) were quantified to test whether below-ground biomass controls SOC and TN dynamics. Soil cores were collected under (‘plant’) and between plants (‘gap’) in a field experiment on a temperate agricultural silty clay loam after 4- and 6-years’ management. Root density was greater under Miscanthus for plant (up to 15.5 kg m–3) compared with gap (up to 2.7 kg m–3) whereas willow had lower densities (up to 3.7 kg m–3). Over two years, SOC increased below 0.2 m depth from 7.1 to 8.5 kg m–3 and was greatest under Sinensis at 0-0.1 m depth (24.8 kg m–3). Miscanthus-derived SOC, based on stable isotope analysis, was greater under plant (11.6 kg m–3) than gap (3.1 kg m–3) for Sinensis. Estimated SOC stock change rates over the two-year period to 1-m depth were 6.4 for Terra Nova, 7.4 for Tora, 3.1 for Giganteus and 8.8 Mg ha–1 year–1 for Sinensis. Rates of change of TN were much less. That SOC matched root mass down the profile, particularly under Miscanthus, indicated that perennial root systems are an important contributor. Willow and Miscanthus offer both biomass production and C sequestration when planted in arable soil

De novo variants disturbing the transactivation capacity of POU3F3 cause a characteristic neurodevelopmental disorder

POU3F3, also referred to as Brain-1, is a well-known transcription factor involved in the development of the central nervous system, but it has not previously been associated with a neurodevelopmental disorder. Here, we report the identification of 19 individuals with heterozygous POU3F3 disruptions, most of which are de novo variants. All individuals had developmental delays and/or intellectual disability and impairments in speech and language skills. Thirteen individuals had characteristic low-set, prominent, and/or cupped ears. Brain abnormalities were observed in seven of eleven MRI reports. POU3F3 is an intronless gene, insensitive to nonsense-mediated decay, and 13 individuals carried protein-truncating variants. All truncating variants that we tested in cellular models led to aberrant subcellular localization of the encoded protein. Luciferase assays demonstrated negative effects of these alleles on transcriptional activation of a reporter with a FOXP2-derived binding motif. In addition to the loss-of-function variants, five individuals had missense variants that clustered at specific positions within the functional domains, and one small in-frame deletion was identified. Two missense variants showed reduced transactivation capacity in our assays, whereas one variant displayed gain-of-function effects, suggesting a distinct pathophysiological mechanism. In bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (BRET) interaction assays, all the truncated POU3F3 versions that we tested had significantly impaired dimerization capacities, whereas all missense variants showed unaffected dimerization with wild-type POU3F3. Taken together, our identification and functional cell-based analyses of pathogenic variants in POU3F3, coupled with a clinical characterization, implicate disruptions of this gene in a characteristic neurodevelopmental disorder