1,281 research outputs found
Alien Registration- Arsenault, Mina G. (Rumford, Oxford County)
https://digitalmaine.com/alien_docs/13439/thumbnail.jp
Alien Registration- Arsenault, Joseph G. (Bath, Sagadahoc County)
https://digitalmaine.com/alien_docs/9622/thumbnail.jp
Cleaved intracellular SNARE peptides are implicated in a novel cytotoxicity mechanism of botulinum serotype C
Recent advances in intracellular protein delivery have enabled more in-depth analyses of
cellular functions. A specialized family of SNARE proteases, known as Botulinum
Neurotoxins, blocks neurotransmitter exocytosis, which leads to systemic toxicity caused by
flaccid paralysis. These pharmaceutically valuable enzymes have also been helpful in the
study of SNARE functions. As can be seen in Figure 1A, SNARE bundle formation causes
vesicle docking at the presynapse. Although these toxins are systemically toxic, no known
cytotoxic effects have been reported with the curious exception of the Botulinum serotype C
[1]. This enzyme cleaves intracellular SNAP25, as does serotype A and E, but also,
exceptionally, cleaves Syntaxin 1. Using an array of lipid and polymer transfection reagents
we were able to deliver different combinations of Botulinum holoenzymes into the normally
unaffected, Neuro2A, SH-SY5Y, PC12, and Min6 cells to analyze the individual
contribution of each SNARE protein and their cleaved peptide products
VLTI/VINCI observations of the nucleus of NGC 1068 using the adaptive optics system MACAO
We present the first near-infrared K-band long-baseline interferometric
measurement of the prototype Seyfert 2 galaxy NGC 1068 with resolution lambda/B
\~ 10 mas obtained with the Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI) and the
two 8.2m Unit Telescopes UT2 and UT3. The adaptive optics system MACAO was
employed to deliver wavefront-corrected beams to the K-band commissioning
instrument VINCI. A squared visibility amplitude of 16.3 +/- 4.3 % was measured
for NGC 1068 at a sky-projected baseline length of 45.8 m and azimuth angle
44.9 deg. This value corresponds to a FWHM of the K-band intensity distribution
of 5.0 +/- 0.5 mas (0.4 +/- 0.04 pc) at the distance of NGC 1068) if it
consists of a single Gaussian component. Taking into account K-band speckle
interferometry observations (Wittkowski et al. 1998; Weinberger et al. 1999;
Weigelt et al. 2004), we favor a multi-component model for the intensity
distribution where a part of the flux originates from scales clearly smaller
than about 5 mas (<0.4 pc), and another part of the flux from larger scales.
The K-band emission from the small (< 5 mas) scales might arise from
substructure of the dusty nuclear torus, or directly from the central accretion
flow viewed through only moderate extinction.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics Letter
Feedback in the Antennae Galaxies (NGC 4038/9): I. High-Resolution Infrared Spectroscopy of Winds from Super Star Clusters
We present high-resolution (R ~ 24,600) near-IR spectroscopy of the youngest
super star clusters (SSCs) in the prototypical starburst merger, the Antennae
Galaxies. These SSCs are young (3-7 Myr old) and massive (10^5 - 10^7 M_sun for
a Kroupa IMF) and their spectra are characterized by broad, extended Br-gamma
emission, so we refer to them as emission-line clusters (ELCs) to distinguish
them from older SSCs. The Brgamma lines of most ELCs have supersonic widths
(60-110 km/s FWHM) and non-Gaussian wings whose velocities exceed the clusters'
escape velocities. This high-velocity unbound gas is flowing out in winds that
are powered by the clusters' massive O and W-R stars over the course of at
least several crossing times. The large sizes of some ELCs relative to those of
older SSCs may be due to expansion caused by these outflows; many of the ELCs
may not survive as bound stellar systems, but rather dissipate rapidly into the
field population. The observed tendency of older ELCs to be more compact than
young ones is consistent with the preferential survival of the most
concentrated clusters at a given age.Comment: Accepted to Ap
Performing under pressure: Quiet eye training improves surgical knot-tying performance
Background: We examined the effectiveness of traditional technical training (TT) and quiet eye training (QET) on the performance of one-handed square knot tying in first-year surgery residents under normal and high anxiety conditions.
Methods: Twenty surgery residents were assigned randomly to the two groups and completed pretest, training, and simple and complex retention tests under conditions of high and low anxiety. The TT group received traditional instruction on improving hand movements; the QET group received feedback on their gaze behaviors. Participants wore an eye tracker that recorded simultaneously their gaze and hand movements. Dependent variables were: knot tying performance (%), quiet eye duration (%), number of fixations, and total movement time (s).
Results: Both groups improved their knot tying performance (p 0.05). The QET group also demonstrated more efficient gaze and hand movements post training.
Conclusions: These data demonstrate the effectiveness of training gaze behaviors, not only to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of performance, but also to mediate any negative effects of anxiety on performance. These findings may have important implications for medical educators and practitioners, as well as surgeons who may be (re)training or learning new procedures
Quiet eye training improves surgical knot tying more than traditional technical training: A randomized controlled study
Background We examined the effectiveness of technical training (TT) and quiet eye training (QE) on the performance of one-handed square knot tying in surgical residents. Methods Twenty surgical residents were randomly assigned to the 2 groups and completed pretest, training, retention, and transfer tests. Participants wore a mobile eye tracker that simultaneously recorded their gaze and hand movements. Dependent variables were knot tying performance (%), QE duration (%), number of fixations, total movement time (s), and hand movement phase time (s). Results The QE training group had significantly higher performance scores, a longer QE duration, fewer fixations, faster total knot tying times, and faster movement phase times compared with the TT group. The QE group maintained performance in the transfer test, whereas the TT group significantly decreased performance from retention to transfer. Conclusions QE training significantly improved learning, retention, and transfer of surgical knot tying compared with a traditional technical approach. Both performance effectiveness (performance outcome) and movement efficiency (hand movement times) were improved using QE modeling, instruction, and feedback. © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved
Impact of plasma Lp-PLA2 activity on the progression of aortic stenosis : the PROGRESSA study.
Objectives :
The purpose of this prospective study was to examine the relationship between plasma lipoprotein–associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2) activity and the progression rate of aortic stenosis (AS).
Background :
We recently reported that Lp-PLA2 is highly expressed in stenotic aortic valves where it may contribute to the mineralization of valvular interstitial cells.
Methods :
Patients with AS were prospectively recruited in the PROGRESSA (Metabolic Determinants of the Progression of Aortic Stenosis) study. AS progression rate was assessed by annualized increase in peak aortic jet velocity (Vpeak), mean gradient (MG), and aortic valve area index (AVAi). Circulating Lp-PLA2 activity was measured and dichotomized based on the median value.
Results :
Of 183 patients included in this subanalysis of the PROGRESSA study, 70% were men and the mean age was 66 ± 13 years. Over the 2.5 ± 1.4 years of follow up, the AS progression rate tended to be higher in patients with high versus low Lp-PLA2 activity (annualized Vpeak = 0.17 ± 0.23 m/s vs. 0.12 ± 0.18 m/s; p = 0.14). There was a significant interaction (p < 0.05) between baseline AS severity and Lp-PLA2 activity with respect to impact on AS progression rate. In patients with mild AS (i.e., Vpeak <3 m/s; n = 123), increased Lp-PLA2 activity was associated with a significantly faster AS progression rate (Vpeak 0.16 ± 0.18 m/s vs. 0.09 ± 0.14 m/s; p = 0.01) but not in patients with moderate or severe AS (p = 0.99). After adjustment for other risk factors, increased Lp-PLA2 activity remained independently associated with faster AS progression rate (p = 0.005) in the former subset.
Conclusions :
There was no significant association between plasma Lp-PLA2 activity or mass and stenosis progression in the whole cohort. However, increased Lp-PLA2 activity was associated with a faster stenosis progression rate in the subset of patients with mild AS. These findings provide an impetus for the elaboration of a randomized trial targeting Lp-PLA2 activity in patients with early stages of calcific aortic valve disease
The Potential-Density Phase Shift Method for Determining the Corotation Radii in Spiral and Barred Galaxies
We have developed a new method for determining the corotation radii of
density waves in disk galaxies, which makes use of the radial distribution of
an azimuthal phase shift between the potential and density wave patterns. The
approach originated from improved theoretical understandings of the relation
between the morphology and kinematics of galaxies, and on the dynamical
interaction between density waves and the basic-state disk stars which results
in the secular evolution of disk galaxies. In this paper, we present the
rationales behind the method, and the first application of it to several
representative barred and grand-design spiral galaxies, using near-infrared
images to trace the mass distributions, as well as to calculate the potential
distributions used in the phase shift calculations. We compare our results with
those from other existing methods for locating the corotations, and show that
the new method both confirms the previously-established trends of bar-length
dependence on galaxy morphological types, as well as provides new insights into
the possible extent of bars in disk galaxies. Application of the method to a
larger sample and the preliminary analysis of which show that the phase shift
method is likely to be a generally-applicable, accurate, and essentially
model-independent method for determining the pattern speeds and corotation
radii of single or nested density wave patterns in galaxies. Other implications
of this work are: most of the nearby bright disk galaxies appear to possess
quasi-stationary spiral modes; that these density wave modes and the associated
basic state of the galactic disk slowly transform over time; and that
self-consistent N-particle systems contain physics not revealed by the passive
orbit analysis approaches.Comment: 48 pages, 16 figures. Accepted for publication in the Astronomical
Journa
The Influence of Bars on Nuclear Activity
We test ideas on fueling of galactic nuclei by bar-driven inflow by comparing
the detection rate and intensity of nuclear H II regions and AGNs among barred
and unbarred galaxies in a sample of over 300 spirals selected from our recent
optical spectroscopic survey of nearby galaxies. Among late-type spirals
(Sc-Sm), but not early-type (S0/a-Sbc), we observe in the barred group a very
marginal increase in the detection rate of H II nuclei and a corresponding
decrease in the incidence of AGNs. The minor differences in the detection
rates, however, are statistically insignificant, most likely stemming from
selection effects and not from a genuine influence from the bar. The presence
of a bar seems to have no noticeable impact on the likelihood of a galaxy to
host either nuclear star formation or an AGN. The nuclei of early-type barred
spirals do exhibit measurably higher star-formation rates than their unbarred
counterparts, as indicated by either the luminosity or the equivalent width of
H-alpha emission. By contrast, late-type spirals do not show such an effect.
Bars have a negligible effect on the strength of the AGNs in our sample,
regardless of the Hubble type of the host galaxy. This result confirms similar
conclusions reached by other studies based on much smaller samples.Comment: To appear in the Astrophysical Journal. LaTex, 31 pages including 6
postscript figures and 3 tables. AAStex macros include
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