Resetting a functional G1 nucleus after mitosis

© The Author(s) 2015. The maintenance of the correct cellular information goes beyond the simple transmission of an intact genetic code from one generation to the next. Epigenetic changes, topological cues and correct protein-protein interactions need to be re-established after each cell division to allow the next cell cycle to resume in the correct regulated manner. This process begins with mitotic exit and re-sets all the changes that occurred during mitosis thus restoring a functional G1 nucleus in preparation for the next cell cycle. Mitotic exit is triggered by inactivation of mitotic kinases and the reversal of their phosphorylation activities on many cellular components, from nuclear lamina to transcription factors and chromatin itself. To reverse all these phosphorylations, phosphatases act during mitotic exit in a timely and spatially controlled manner directing the events that lead to a functional G1 nucleus. In this review, we will summarise the recent developments on the control of phosphatases and their known substrates during mitotic exit, and the key steps that control the restoration of chromatin status, nuclear envelope reassembly and nuclear body re-organisation. Although pivotal work has been conducted in this area in yeast, due to differences between the mitotic exit network between yeast and vertebrates, we will mainly concentrate on the vertebrate system.BBSRC grant (BB/K017632/1)

A p-adic look at the Diophantine equation x^{2}+11^{2k}=y^{n}

We find all solutions of Diophantine equation x^{2}+11^{2k} = y^{n} where x>=1, y>=1, n>=3 and k is natural number. We give p-adic interpretation of this equation.Comment: 4 page

Comparative Performance Evaluation of Conventional and Renewable Thermal Insulation Materials Used in Building Envelops

In the past decades, insulation materials such as petrochemical and inorganic have been used for building insulation. The production of these insulation materials consumes a large amount of energy, which has a significant effect on the environment throughout the life cycle. Comparative performance analyses of renewable (natural) insulation materials for building application in terms of their impact on the environment, the useful lifetime, cost, insulation performance, thermal diffusivity water vapor resistance and flammability were analyzed using statistical tools. It was found that renewable insulating materials have competitive performances with traditional non-renewable materials in terms of heat insulation performances, fire resistance and cost. Also it was found that renewable materials have significantly better performances such as less impact to the global warming, longer useful lifetime, and lower thermal diffusivity

If You Can, You Can

VCU distinguishes itself as being one of Virginia’s most diverse institutions of higher education. This project seeks to support and extend this wonderful attribute by encouraging a climate of equity and inclusiveness. If You Can, You Can creates a common platform and language in support of the university’s mission to address disparities concerning equality and inclusiveness, and provides a model that is useful in promoting all dimensions of diversity. In addition to developing this overarching model, Team Real Connections worked with the VCU Athletics department to implement a prototype program called “If you can play, you can play,” which promotes inclusivity for those in the LGBTQ community within athletics. That initiative is comprised of the following components: ● the production of a marketing video to introduce and promote the campaign ● the submission of the video to the national “You Can Play” project (http://youcanplayproject.org/) ● a survey assessing how VCU athletes perceive the current climate in athletics ● training sessions with athletic coaches and staff to promote awareness and advocacy for the LGBTQ community ● dissemination of posters, postcards, and wristbands to promote the campaign and publicize events ● programs in October (LGBTQ History Month) with speakers Pat Griffin and Hudson Taylor to bring further awareness to the importance of inclusivity ● promotion of the campaign and events at various athletic events The success of the prototype campaign demonstrates that If You Can, You Can has the potential to serve as a comprehensive platform for units around VCU who wish to promote inclusivity and equity along other dimensions of diversity. Ultimately, the team envisions a university-wide initiative that unites VCU in achieving its goal of becoming a premier urban research university where everyone is welcomed, supported, and valued

Spinal myoclonus following a peripheral nerve injury: a case report

Spinal myoclonus is a rare disorder characterized by myoclonic movements in muscles that originate from several segments of the spinal cord and usually associated with laminectomy, spinal cord injury, post-operative, lumbosacral radiculopathy, spinal extradural block, myelopathy due to demyelination, cervical spondylosis and many other diseases. On rare occasions, it can originate from the peripheral nerve lesions and be mistaken for peripheral myoclonus. Careful history taking and electrophysiological evaluation is important in differential diagnosis

Comparison of Current Balancing Configurations for Primary Parallel Isolated Boost Converter

Different current balancing configurations have been investigated for Primary Parallel Isolated Boost Converter (PPIBC). It has been shown that parallel branch current balancing is possible with several configurations of coupled/uncoupled inductors. Analytical expressions for branch currents have been derived for different cases of gate signal mismatch causing current imbalance. It has been observed that turn-on and turn-off delays in parallel power stages of the PPIBC have different effects in the branch currents deviating from ideal. It has also been observed that in some configurations inductance differences due to core tolerances play an important role in current imbalance. Analytical and simulation results have shown that another side effect of the gate signal delay and inductor value difference is additional voltage stress over the switches during the mismatch times. Advantages of each configuration in terms of effective current balancing, efficiency and manufacturing simplicity have been highlighted. Simulations with ideal components for each case have been carried out to confirm the analytical derivations. Experimental results have also been included to show the performances of different configurations where component non-idealities like transformer leakage inductances also become effective

Breast cancer in association with thyroid disorders

BACKGROUND: The relationship between breast cancer and thyroid diseases is controversial. Discrepant results have been reported in the literature. The incidences of autoimmune and nonautoimmune thyroid diseases were investigated in patients with breast cancer and age-matched control individuals without breast or thyroid disease. METHODS: Clinical and ultrasound evaluation of thyroid gland, determination of serum thyroid hormone and antibody levels, and fine-needle aspiration of thyroid gland were performed in 150 breast cancer patients and 100 control individuals. RESULTS: The mean values for anti-thyroid peroxidase antibodies were significantly higher in breast cancer patients than in control individuals (P = 0.030). The incidences of autoimmune and nonautoimmune thyroid diseases were higher in breast cancer patients than in control individuals (38% versus 17%, P = 0.001; 26% versus 9%, P = 0.001, respectively). CONCLUSION: Our results indicate an increased prevalence of autoimmune and nonautoimmune thyroid diseases in breast cancer patients

Long noncoding RNAs in neuronal-glial fate specification and oligodendrocyte lineage maturation

Background: Long non-protein-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) are emerging as important regulators of cellular differentiation and are widely expressed in the brain.Results: Here we show that many long ncRNAs exhibit dynamic expression patterns during neuronal and oligodendrocyte (OL) lineage specification, neuronal-glial fate transitions, and progressive stages of OL lineage elaboration including myelination. Consideration of the genomic context of these dynamically regulated ncRNAs showed they were part of complex transcriptional loci that encompass key neural developmental protein-coding genes, with which they exhibit concordant expression profiles as indicated by both microarray and in situ hybridization analyses. These included ncRNAs associated with differentiation-specific nuclear subdomains such as Gomafu and Neat1, and ncRNAs associated with developmental enhancers and genes encoding important transcription factors and homeotic proteins. We also observed changes in ncRNA expression profiles in response to treatment with trichostatin A, a histone deacetylase inhibitor that prevents the progression of OL progenitors into post-mitotic OLs by altering lineage-specific gene expression programs.Conclusion: This is the first report of long ncRNA expression in neuronal and glial cell differentiation and of the modulation of ncRNA expression by modification of chromatin architecture. These observations explicitly link ncRNA dynamics to neural stem cell fate decisions, specification and epigenetic reprogramming and may have important implications for understanding and treating neuropsychiatric diseases