Differential Gene Expression in Liver, Gill, and Olfactory Rosettes of Coho Salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) After Acclimation to Salinity.

Most Pacific salmonids undergo smoltification and transition from freshwater to saltwater, making various adjustments in metabolism, catabolism, osmotic, and ion regulation. The molecular mechanisms underlying this transition are largely unknown. In the present study, we acclimated coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) to four different salinities and assessed gene expression through microarray analysis of gills, liver, and olfactory rosettes. Gills are involved in osmotic regulation, liver plays a role in energetics, and olfactory rosettes are involved in behavior. Between all salinity treatments, liver had the highest number of differentially expressed genes at 1616, gills had 1074, and olfactory rosettes had 924, using a 1.5-fold cutoff and a false discovery rate of 0.5. Higher responsiveness of liver to metabolic changes after salinity acclimation to provide energy for other osmoregulatory tissues such as the gills may explain the differences in number of differentially expressed genes. Differentially expressed genes were tissue- and salinity-dependent. There were no known genes differentially expressed that were common to all salinity treatments and all tissues. Gene ontology term analysis revealed biological processes, molecular functions, and cellular components that were significantly affected by salinity, a majority of which were tissue-dependent. For liver, oxygen binding and transport terms were highlighted. For gills, muscle, and cytoskeleton-related terms predominated and for olfactory rosettes, immune response-related genes were accentuated. Interaction networks were examined in combination with GO terms and determined similarities between tissues for potential osmosensors, signal transduction cascades, and transcription factors

Preliminary Report on Stone Breakage and Lesion Size Produced by a New Extracorporeal Electrohydraulic (Sparker Array) Discharge Device

Objective To determine if an innovative extracorporeal electrohydraulic shock wave device (sparker array) can effectively fracture artificial stones in vitro and in vivo, and if sparker array treatment produces a renal lesion in our pig model of lithotripsy injury. Results of these experiments will be used to help evaluate the suitability of this device as a clinical lithotripter. Methods Utracal-30 artificial stones were placed in a holder at the focus of the sparker array and treated with 600 shock waves (21.6 kV, 60 shocks/min). Stone fragments were collected, dried and weighed to determine stone breakage. In vivo stone breakage entailed implanting stones into pigs. These stones were treated with 600 or 1200 shock waves and the fragments collected for analysis. Lesion analysis consisted of treating the left kidney of pigs with 1200 or 2400 shock waves and quantitating the hemorrhagic lesion. Results In vitro, 71±2% of each artificial stone was fractured to < 2 mm in size. In vivo stone breakage averaged 63%. Renal injury analysis revealed that only 1 out of 7 kidneys showed evidence of hemorrhagic injury in the treated area. Conclusions The sparker array consistently comminuted artificial stones demonstrating its ability to fracture stones like other lithotripters. Also, the sparker array caused little to no renal injury at the settings used in this study. These findings suggest further research is warranted to determine the potential of this device as a clinical lithotripter

Evaluation of an experimental electrohydraulic discharge device for extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy: Pressure field of sparker array

In this paper, an extracorporeal shock wave source composed of small ellipsoidal sparker units is described. The sparker units were arranged in an array designed to produce a coherent shock wave of sufficient strength to fracture kidney stones. The objective of this paper was to measure the acoustical output of this array of 18 individual sparker units and compare this array to commercial lithotripters. Representative waveforms acquired with a fiber-optic probe hydrophone at the geometric focus of the sparker array indicated that the sparker array produces a shock wave (P+ ∼40-47 MPa, P- ∼2.5-5.0 MPa) similar to shock waves produced by a Dornier HM-3 or Dornier Compact S. The sparker array's pressure field map also appeared similar to the measurements from a HM-3 and Compact S. Compared to the HM-3, the electrohydraulic technology of the sparker array produced a more consistent SW pulse (shot-to-shot positive pressure value standard deviation of ±4.7 MPa vs ±3.3 MPa)

Deep Hubble Space Telescope Imaging of IC 1613 II. The Star Formation History

We present deep HST WFPC2 imaging of the Local Group dwarf irregular galaxy IC 1613. The photometry is the deepest to date for an isolated dwarf irregular galaxy. The resulting color-magnitude diagram (CMD) is analyzed using three different methods to derive a star formation history (SFH). All three find an enhanced star formation rate (SFR), from 3 to 6 Gyr ago, and similar age-metallicity relationships (AMR). A comparison of the newly observed outer field with an earlier studied central field of IC 1613 shows that the SFR in the outer field has been significantly depressed during the last Gyr. This implies that the optical scale length of the galaxy has been decreasing with time and that comparison of galaxies at intermediate redshift with present day galaxies should take this effect into account. We find strong similarities between IC 1613 and the more distant Milky Way dSph companions in that all are dominated by star formation at intermediate ages. In particular, the SFH and AMR for IC 1613 and Leo I are indistinguishable. This implies that dIrr galaxies cannot be distinguished from dSphs by their intermediate age stellar populations. This type of a SFH may also be evidence for slower or suppressed early star formation in dwarf galaxies due to photoionization after the reionization of the universe by background radiation. Assuming that IC 1613 is typical of a dIrr evolving in isolation, since most of the star formation occurs at intermediate ages, these dwarf systems cannot be responsible for the fast chemical enrichment of the IGM which is seen at high redshift. There is no evidence for any large amplitude bursts of star formation in IC 1613, and we find it highly unlikely that analogs of IC 1613 have contributed to the excess of faint blue galaxies in existing galaxy redshift surveys.Comment: 32 pages, including 1 table and 17 figures, accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal October 10, 2003 issu

Deep HST Imaging of Sextans A. II. Cepheids and Distance

We have identified 82 short-period variable stars in Sextans A from deep WFPC2 observations. All of the periodic variables appear to be short-period Cepheids, with periods as small as 0.8 days for fundamental-mode Cepheids and 0.5 days for first-overtone Cepheids. These objects have been used, along with measurements of the RGB tip and red clump, to measure a true distance modulus to Sextans A of (m-M)_0 = 25.61 +/- 0.07, corresponding to a distance of d = 1.32 +/- 0.04 Mpc. Comparing distances calculated by these techniques, we find that short-period Cepheids (P < 2 days) are accurate distance indicators for objects at or below the metallicity of the SMC. As these objects are quite numerous in low-metallicity star-forming galaxies, they have the potential for providing extremely precise distances throughout the Local Group. We have also compared the relative distances produced by other distance indicators. We conclude that calibrations of RR Lyraes, the RGB tip, and the red clump are self-consistent, but that there appears to be a small dependence of long-period Cepheid distances on metallicity. Finally, we present relative distances of Sextans A, Leo A, IC 1613, and the Magellanic Clouds.Comment: 59 pages, 24 figures Scheduled for publication in March 2003 A

A Simultaneous Dual-site Technosignature Search Using International LOFAR Stations

The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence aims to find evidence of technosignatures, which can point toward the possible existence of technologically advanced extraterrestrial life. Radio signals similar to those engineered on Earth may be transmitted by other civilizations, motivating technosignature searches across the entire radio spectrum. In this endeavor, the low-frequency radio band has remained largely unexplored; with prior radio searches primarily above 1 GHz. In this survey at 110-190 MHz, observations of 1,631,198 targets from TESS and Gaia are reported. Observations took place simultaneously with two international stations (noninterferometric) of the Low Frequency Array in Ireland and Sweden. We can reject the presence of any Doppler drifting narrowband transmissions in the barycentric frame of reference, with equivalent isotropic radiated power of 10 17 W, for 0.4 million (or 1.3 million) stellar systems at 110 (or 190) MHz. This work demonstrates the effectiveness of using multisite simultaneous observations for rejecting anthropogenic signals in the search for technosignatures.Comment: 15 Pages, 16 Figures, 2 Machine Readable Table

Schistosoma mansoni Enhances Host Susceptibility to Mucosal but Not Intravenous Challenge by R5 Clade C SHIV

Parasitic infections have been postulated to increase host susceptibility to HIV-1. We previously demonstrated that rhesus monkeys with active schistosomiasis were significantly more likely to become systemically infected after intrarectal exposure to an R5-tropic clade C simian-human immunodeficiency virus then were parasite-free control animals. However, we could not address whether parasites exert their effect at the mucosal level or systemically. To address the latter possibility, we measured the virus doses needed to achieve systemic infection after intravenous exposure of parasite-free or parasite-positive monkeys using the identical virus stock. None of the viral parameters tested in these two groups of monkeys were statistically significantly different. These results suggest that schistosomiasis modulates susceptibility to immunodeficiency virus acquisition predominantly at the mucosal level. Treatment for parasitic infections in populations at higher risk for HIV-1 acquisition could represent a cost-effective approach to slow the spread of HIV-1, which is predominantly transmitted through mucosal routes

The Long-Baseline Neutrino Experiment: Exploring Fundamental Symmetries of the Universe

The preponderance of matter over antimatter in the early Universe, the dynamics of the supernova bursts that produced the heavy elements necessary for life and whether protons eventually decay --- these mysteries at the forefront of particle physics and astrophysics are key to understanding the early evolution of our Universe, its current state and its eventual fate. The Long-Baseline Neutrino Experiment (LBNE) represents an extensively developed plan for a world-class experiment dedicated to addressing these questions. LBNE is conceived around three central components: (1) a new, high-intensity neutrino source generated from a megawatt-class proton accelerator at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, (2) a near neutrino detector just downstream of the source, and (3) a massive liquid argon time-projection chamber deployed as a far detector deep underground at the Sanford Underground Research Facility. This facility, located at the site of the former Homestake Mine in Lead, South Dakota, is approximately 1,300 km from the neutrino source at Fermilab -- a distance (baseline) that delivers optimal sensitivity to neutrino charge-parity symmetry violation and mass ordering effects. This ambitious yet cost-effective design incorporates scalability and flexibility and can accommodate a variety of upgrades and contributions. With its exceptional combination of experimental configuration, technical capabilities, and potential for transformative discoveries, LBNE promises to be a vital facility for the field of particle physics worldwide, providing physicists from around the globe with opportunities to collaborate in a twenty to thirty year program of exciting science. In this document we provide a comprehensive overview of LBNE's scientific objectives, its place in the landscape of neutrino physics worldwide, the technologies it will incorporate and the capabilities it will possess.Comment: Major update of previous version. This is the reference document for LBNE science program and current status. Chapters 1, 3, and 9 provide a comprehensive overview of LBNE's scientific objectives, its place in the landscape of neutrino physics worldwide, the technologies it will incorporate and the capabilities it will possess. 288 pages, 116 figure

The evolutionary history of wild, domesticated, and feral Brassica oleracea (Brassicaceae)

Understanding the evolutionary history of crops, including identifying wild relatives, helps to provide insight for conservation and crop breeding efforts. Cultivated Brassica oleracea has intrigued researchers for centuries due to its wide diversity in forms, which include cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, kohlrabi, and Brussels sprouts. Yet, the evolutionary history of this species remains understudied. With such different vegetables produced from a single species, B. oleracea is a model organism for understanding the power of artificial selection. Persistent challenges in the study of B. oleracea include conflicting hypotheses regarding domestication and the identity of the closest living wild relative. Using newly generated RNA-seq data for a diversity panel of 224 accessions, which represents 14 different B. oleracea crop types and nine potential wild progenitor species, we integrate phylogenetic and population genetic techniques with ecological niche modeling, archaeological, and literary evidence to examine relationships among cultivars and wild relatives to clarify the origin of this horticulturally important species. Our analyses point to the Aegean endemic B. cretica as the closest living relative of cultivated B. oleracea, supporting an origin of cultivation in the Eastern Mediterranean region. Additionally, we identify several feral lineages, suggesting that cultivated plants of this species can revert to a wild-like state with relative ease. By expanding our understanding of the evolutionary history in B. oleracea, these results contribute to a growing body of knowledge on crop domestication that will facilitate continued breeding efforts including adaptation to changing environmental conditions

RA-MAP, molecular immunological landscapes in early rheumatoid arthritis and healthy vaccine recipients

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disorder with poorly defined aetiology characterised by synovial inflammation with variable disease severity and drug responsiveness. To investigate the peripheral blood immune cell landscape of early, drug naive RA, we performed comprehensive clinical and molecular profiling of 267 RA patients and 52 healthy vaccine recipients for up to 18 months to establish a high quality sample biobank including plasma, serum, peripheral blood cells, urine, genomic DNA, RNA from whole blood, lymphocyte and monocyte subsets. We have performed extensive multi-omic immune phenotyping, including genomic, metabolomic, proteomic, transcriptomic and autoantibody profiling. We anticipate that these detailed clinical and molecular data will serve as a fundamental resource offering insights into immune-mediated disease pathogenesis, progression and therapeutic response, ultimately contributing to the development and application of targeted therapies for RA.</p