9,388 research outputs found
Prevalence, intensity, and effect of a nematode (Philometra saltatrix) in the ovaries of bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix)
Examination of 203 adult bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix) from
Long Island, New York, in 2002 and 2003 and 66 from the Outer Banks, North Carolina, in 2003 revealed the presence of dracunculoid nematodes (Philometra saltatrix) in the ovaries of female fish. Percent prevalence reached 88% in July and then decreased after the peak of the spawning season. Bluefish contained up to 100 parasites per fish. Infection was associated with a range of disorders, including hemorrhage, inf lammation, edema, prenecrotic
and necrotic changes, and follicular atresia, that may prevent proper development of oocytes and probably affect bluefish fecundity. Historical occurrences, life cycle, and geographical distribution of this nematode remain largely unknown, but may play important roles in recruitment
processes of bluefish
Local superfluid densities probed via current-induced superconducting phase gradients
We have developed a superconducting phase gradiometer consisting of two
parallel DNA-templated nanowires connecting two thin-film leads. We have ramped
the cross current flowing perpendicular to the nanowires, and observed
oscillations in the lead-to-lead resistance due to cross-current-induced phase
differences. By using this gradiometer we have measured the temperature and
magnetic field dependence of the superfluid density and observed an
amplification of phase gradients caused by elastic vortex displacements. We
examine our data in light of Miller-Bardeen theory of dirty superconductors and
a microscale version of Campbell's model of field penetration.Comment: 5 pages, 6 figure
The PEST sequence does not contribute to the stability of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator
BACKGROUND: Endoplasmic reticulum retention of misfolded cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) mutants and their rapid degradation is the major cause of cystic fibrosis (CF). An important goal is to understand the mechanism of how the misfolded proteins are recognized, retained, and targeted for degradation. RESULTS: Using a web-based algorithm, PESTFind, we found a PEST sequence in the regulatory (R) domain of CFTR. The PEST sequence is found in many short-lived eukaryotic proteins and plays a role in their degradation. To determine its role in the stability and degradation of misprocessed CFTR, we introduced a number of site-directed mutations into the PEST sequence in the cDNA of ÎF508 CFTR, the most prevalent misprocessed mutation found in CF patients. Analysis of these mutants showed that the disruption of the PEST sequence plays a minor role in the degradation of the CFTR mutants. Multiple mutations to the PEST sequence within the R domain of CFTR inhibit maturation of CFTR and prevent the formation of a 100 kDa degradation product. The mutations, however, do not improve the stability of the mutant ÎF508 CFTR. CONCLUSION: These observations show that disruption of the structure of the R domain of CFTR can inhibit maturation of the protein and that the predicted PEST sequence plays no significant role in the degradation of CFTR
Steer into the Storm. Dynamic Psychotherapy for Preaching in Anxious Times
Global catastrophes such as the COVID-19 crisis raise individual and collective anxiety among faith communities. Fears about the well-being of loved ones, grief over the hiatus of corporate worship services, and uncertainty about the sustainability of local churches loom large. A significant challenge surrounding preaching during a pandemic is the need to speak a word to and for this anxiety. But psychotherapists know an important thing about anxiety: it contains no information. It is no more than âa noisy gong or a clanging cymbal,â to use St Paulâs words. To reassure it away from the pulpit is tantamount to colluding with it. What if instead of attempting to soothe away anxiety in troubling times like these, the preacher and the congregation collide head-on with the feeling that resides on the other side of the anxiety? What comes into view then? This paper will bring the central tenets of dynamic psychotherapy to bear on the task of preaching amidst global catastrophe. By relying on how therapists move past anxiety to directly address the deep feelings of patients, we raise ideas for preaching sermons that go past anxiety, fear, and helplessness and steer into the storm of emotions stirring among the faith community
Recurrent radio outbursts at the center of the NGC1407 galaxy group
We present deep Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) radio observations at
240, 330 and 610 MHz of the complex radio source at the center of the NGC1407
galaxy group. Previous GMRT observations at 240 MHz revealed faint, diffuse
emission enclosing the central twin-jet radio galaxy. This has been interpreted
as an indication of two possible radio outbursts occurring at different times.
Both the inner double and diffuse component are detected in the new GMRT images
at high levels of significance. Combining the GMRT observations with archival
Very Large Array data at 1.4 and 4.9 GHz, we derive the total spectrum of both
components. The inner double has a spectral index \alpha=0.7, typical for
active, extended radio galaxies, whereas the spectrum of the large-scale
emission is very steep, with \alpha=1.8 between 240 MHz and 1.4 GHz. The
radiative age of the large-scale component is very long, ~300 Myr, compared to
~30 Myr estimated for the central double, confirming that the diffuse component
was generated during a former cycle of activity of the central galaxy. The
current activity have so far released an energy which is nearly one order of
magnitude lower than that associated with the former outburst. The group X-ray
emission in the Chandra and XMM-Newton images and extended radio emission show
a similar swept-back morphology. We speculate that the two structures are both
affected by the motion of the group core, perhaps due to the core sloshing in
response to a recent encounter with the nearby elliptical galaxy NGC1400.Comment: 15 pages, 12 figures and 5 tables. Accepted for publication in Ap
Deconfined Fermions but Confined Coherence?
The cuprate superconductors and certain organic conductors exhibit transport
which is qualitatively anisotropic, yet at the same time other properties of
these materials strongly suggest the existence of a Fermi surface and low
energy excitations with substantial free electron character. The former of
these features is very difficult to account for if the material possesses three
dimensional coherence, while the latter is inconsistent with a description
based on a two dimensional fixed point. We therefore present a new proposal for
these materials in which they are categorized by a fixed point at which
transport in one direction is not renormalization group irrelevant, but is
intrinsically incoherent, i.e. the incoherence is present in a pure system, at
zero temperature. The defining property of such a state is that single electron
coherence is confined to lower dimensional subspaces (planes or chains) so that
it is impossible to observe interference effects between histories which
involve electrons moving between these subspaces.Comment: 31 pages, REVTEX, 3 eps figures, epsf.tex macr
Deletion of NH2â and COOH-terminal sequences destroys function of the Ca2+ ATPase of rabbit fast-twitch skeletal muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum
AbstractDeletion mutants of the Ca2+ ATPase of rabbit fast-twitch skeletal muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum (SERCA1a) were constructed and expressed in COS-1 cells. The mutants were expressed at levels 7- to 15-fold lower than the wild-type and were inactive. In vitro transcription-translation-insertion experiments showed that deletion of transmembrane sequences M1 and M2, but not of M8, M9, M10 or the NH2âterminal 30 amino acids inhibited the stable insertion of the enzyme into the membrane. Thus there was no correlation between loss of function and membrane insertion. A signal sequence for membrane insertion may exist in M1 and M2
- âŠ