Inference of RNA decay rate from transcriptional profiling highlights the regulatory programs of Alzheimer's disease.

The abundance of mRNA is mainly determined by the rates of RNA transcription and decay. Here, we present a method for unbiased estimation of differential mRNA decay rate from RNA-sequencing data by modeling the kinetics of mRNA metabolism. We show that in all primary human tissues tested, and particularly in the central nervous system, many pathways are regulated at the mRNA stability level. We present a parsimonious regulatory model consisting of two RNA-binding proteins and four microRNAs that modulate the mRNA stability landscape of the brain, which suggests a new link between RBFOX proteins and Alzheimer's disease. We show that downregulation of RBFOX1 leads to destabilization of mRNAs encoding for synaptic transmission proteins, which may contribute to the loss of synaptic function in Alzheimer's disease. RBFOX1 downregulation is more likely to occur in older and female individuals, consistent with the association of Alzheimer's disease with age and gender."mRNA abundance is determined by the rates of transcription and decay. Here, the authors propose a method for estimating the rate of differential mRNA decay from RNA-seq data and model mRNA stability in the brain, suggesting a link between mRNA stability and Alzheimer's disease.

Discovery of 6.035GHz Hydroxyl Maser Flares in IRAS18566+0408

We report the discovery of 6.035GHz hydroxyl (OH) maser flares toward the massive star forming region IRAS18566+0408 (G37.55+0.20), which is the only region known to show periodic formaldehyde (4.8 GHz H2CO) and methanol (6.7 GHz CH3OH) maser flares. The observations were conducted between October 2008 and January 2010 with the 305m Arecibo Telescope in Puerto Rico. We detected two flare events, one in March 2009, and one in September to November 2009. The OH maser flares are not simultaneous with the H2CO flares, but may be correlated with CH3OH flares from a component at corresponding velocities. A possible correlated variability of OH and CH3OH masers in IRAS18566+0408 is consistent with a common excitation mechanism (IR pumping) as predicted by theory.Comment: Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journa

EVLA Observations of OH Masers in ON 1

This Letter reports on initial Expanded Very Large Array (EVLA) observations of the 6035 MHz masers in ON 1. The EVLA data are of good quality, lending confidence in the new receiver system. Nineteen maser features, including six Zeeman pairs, are detected. The overall distribution of 6035 MHz OH masers is similar to that of the 1665 MHz OH masers. The spatial resolution is sufficient to unambiguously determine that the magnetic field is strong (~ -10 mG) at the location of the blueshifted masers in the north, consistent with Zeeman splitting detected in 13441 MHz OH masers in the same velocity range. Left and right circularly polarized ground-state features dominate in different regions in the north of the source, which may be due to a combination of magnetic field and velocity gradients. The combined distribution of all OH masers toward the south is suggestive of a shock structure of the sort previously seen in W3(OH).Comment: 4 pages using emulateapj.cls including 2 tables and 2 color figure

Event-Horizon-Telescope Evidence for Alignment of the Black Hole in the Center of the Milky Way with the Inner Stellar Disk

Observations of the black hole in the center of the Milky Way with the Event Horizon Telescope at 1.3 mm have revealed a size of the emitting region that is smaller than the size of the black-hole shadow. This can be reconciled with the spectral properties of the source, if the accretion flow is seen at a relatively high inclination (50-60 degrees). Such an inclination makes the angular momentum of the flow, and perhaps of the black hole, nearly aligned with the angular momenta of the orbits of stars that lie within 3 arcsec from the black hole. We discuss the implications of such an alignment for the properties of the black hole and of its accretion flow. We argue that future Event-Horizon-Telescope observations will not only refine the inclination of Sgr A* but also measure precisely its orientation on the plane of the sky.Comment: To appear in the Astrophysical Journa

Orthopaedic nurses’ engagement in clinical research; an exploration of ideas, facilitators and challenges

Background: Previous international studies have identified individual and organisational barriers to nurses’ research utilisation, but there is little data reporting on nurses’ engagement in research design and/or delivery, particularly within the orthopaedic speciality. Aim: To explore orthopaedic nurses’ views regarding the research priorities for neuro-musculoskeletal care and the perceived barriers and facilitators associated with their engagement in the research process. Methods: A single centre mixed methods study (n=75) collected data via a survey and 14 focus group discussions. Findings: Our sample of clinical orthopaedic nurses showed little evidence of research engagement. Research priorities focused on 1. Understanding and improving patient and staff experiences 2. Improving processes, systems and workload models 3. Interventions to improve clinical outcomes. Key themes arising from the focus group discussion data were research activity, priorities and motivation, culture and leadership, and resources. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that there is still significant work to do build sufficient research capacity and capability within the nursing workforce. Key to success will be developing effective leaders, who can create a positive and supportive research culture across an organisation to strengthen the research voice of nursing, which will drive improvements in future care

Masses of Nearby Supermassive Black Holes with Very-Long Baseline Interferometry

Dynamical mass measurements to date have allowed determinations of the mass M and the distance D of a number of nearby supermassive black holes. In the case of Sgr A*, these measurements are limited by a strong correlation between the mass and distance scaling roughly as M ~ D^2. Future very-long baseline interferometric (VLBI) observations will image a bright and narrow ring surrounding the shadow of a supermassive black hole, if its accretion flow is optically thin. In this paper, we explore the prospects of reducing the correlation between mass and distance with the combination of dynamical measurements and VLBI imaging of the ring of Sgr A*. We estimate the signal to noise ratio of near-future VLBI arrays that consist of five to six stations, and we simulate measurements of the mass and distance of Sgr A* using the expected size of the ring image and existing stellar ephemerides. We demonstrate that, in this best-case scenario, VLBI observations at 1 mm can improve the error on the mass by a factor of about two compared to the results from the monitoring of stellar orbits alone. We identify the additional sources of uncertainty that such imaging observations have to take into account. In addition, we calculate the angular diameters of the bright rings of other nearby supermassive black holes and identify the optimal targets besides Sgr A* that could be imaged by a ground-based VLBI array or future space-VLBI missions allowing for refined mass measurements.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures, 2 tables, refereed version, accepted for publication in Ap