Analysis and application of ERTS-1 data for regional geological mapping

Combined visual and digital techniques of analysing ERTS-1 data for geologic information have been tried on selected areas in Pennsylvania. The major physiolographic and structural provinces show up well. Supervised mapping, following the imaged expression of known geologic features on ERTS band 5 enlargements (1:250,000) of parts of eastern Pennsylvania, delimited the Diabase Sills and the Precambrian rocks of the Reading Prong with remarkable accuracy. From unsupervised mapping, transgressive linear features are apparent in unexpected density, and exhibit strong control over river valley and stream channel directions. They are unaffected by bedrock type, age, or primary structural boundaries, which suggests they are either rejuvenated basement joint directions on different scales, or they are a recently impressed structure possibly associated with a drifting North American plate. With ground mapping and underflight data, 6 scales of linear features have been recognized

Flavivirus-dependent packaging of Aedes aegypti saliva proteins into extracellular vesicles enhances infection

Flaviviruses are a genus of arboviruses, including dengue virus (DENV), Zika virus, yellow fever virus, and West Nile virus, that have the potential to cause severe disease in humans and represent a tremendous and growing threat to public health. Like all arboviruses, flavivirus infection is contracted upon the bite of an infected vector, a process during which the virus and saliva are injected into the host skin. A large body of work has already reported the infection-enhancing ability of proteins derived from vector saliva, suggesting the existence of selective pressures on the vector-to-host viral transmission process. Through the work described herein, we demonstrated that flavivirus infection of Aedes aegypti modulates the protein cargo of extracellular vesicles, a potential avenue for the delivery of pro-viral factors during transmission. In doing so, we identified one protein, AAEL002675 (ARGIL1- Aedes aegypti Arginase-like 1 Protein), a putative arginase, within specific fractions of Aedes aegypti saliva that displayed infection-enhancing activity. We also observed this ARGIL1 protein within extracellular vesicles derived from dengue-infected Aedes aegypti cells. Importantly, treatment of cells with ARGIL1 resulted in an arginase-dependent enhanced level of DENV infection in vitro. In mammals, arginase is an important regulator of excessive cellular inflammation. It catalyzes production of collagen and polyamines from L-arginine, therefore reducing the pool of L-arginine substrate available for inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) to produce nitric oxide. Consistently, cells treated with ARGIL1 displayed decreased levels of iNOS upon DENV infection, suggesting that ARGIL1 treatment reshapes the cellular environment to be more permissive to viral replication upon mosquito bite. These findings provide further evidence that ARGIL1 is an arginase-like pro-viral factor enhancing vector-to-host DENV transmission. Altogether, a better understanding of the molecular processes driving DENV transmission, such as those described here, will be instrumental for the development of innovative preventative antiviral strategies against flaviviruses and arboviruses, including vaccines that target vector proteins

Soft X-ray analysis of a loop flare on the Sun

We present the results of an analysis of soft X-ray images for a solar flare which occurred on 1992 July 11. This flare, as seen in Yohkoh Soft X-ray Telescope (SXT) images was of comparatively simple geometry, consisting of two bright footpoints early in the flare with a bright loop seen later in the flare. We examine how closely this flare compares with the supposed paradigm of a confined simple-loop flare. Closer examination of the SXT images reveals that the flare structure consisted of at least two adjacent loops, one much fainter than the other. We examine the brighter of the two soft X-ray loops. The SXT images reveal an apparent slow, northward motion of this loop (roughly transverse to its major axis). Examination of derived emission measure and temperature images also indicate an apparent northward motion. In addition, we find an increase in the cross-sectional width at the top of the loop with time. Emission measure maps derived from the SXT images also indicates an apparent broadening of the loop-top region. We infer that the apparent northward motion and the apparent broadening of the soft X-ray emission can be explained in a reconnection scenario where successive magnetic field structures do not lie in a plane but are tilted to the south of the line of sight but with successively brightening loops oriented at less tilted angles. Halpha images for this flare reveal an evolution from a few brilliant points to a short two- ribbon-like appearance. Comparison of the SXT images with the Halpha images shows that the Halpha patches are aligned with the footpoints of the soft X-ray loops, suggesting the presence of a small arcade structure. There is no clear evidence for an eruptive signature in our observations nor in reports from other observations. The lack of an eruptive signature could suggest that the flare may have been a confined simple-loop flare, but this is not compelling due to a gap in the coronal observations prior to and early in the event. Analysis of our observations indicate that the flare exhibited characteristics suggesting that it may be better understood as a mini-arcade flare. These results casts doubt on the validity of the supposed paradigm of a confined simple-loop flare, at least for this flare. They indicate that even an apparently simple-loop flare may be considered to be a variety of arcade flare. We also find an effect which, to our knowledge, has not been reported before: the hot flaring regions later become cooler than the surrounding quiescent corona. That is, the flare loops do not evolve into bright active region loops, but into cooler loops. This may indicate an increase in the efficiency of the cooling mechanism or a transformed equilibrium state within the flaring loops

Microscale to Manufacturing Scale-up of Cell-Free Cytokine Production—A New Approach for Shortening Protein Production Development Timelines

Engineering robust protein production and purification of correctly folded biotherapeutic proteins in cell-based systems is often challenging due to the requirements for maintaining complex cellular networks for cell viability and the need to develop associated downstream processes that reproducibly yield biopharmaceutical products with high product quality. Here, we present an alternative Escherichia coli-based open cell-free synthesis (OCFS) system that is optimized for predictable high-yield protein synthesis and folding at any scale with straightforward downstream purification processes. We describe how the linear scalability of OCFS allows rapid process optimization of parameters affecting extract activation, gene sequence optimization, and redox folding conditions for disulfide bond formation at microliter scales. Efficient and predictable high-level protein production can then be achieved using batch processes in standard bioreactors. We show how a fully bioactive protein produced by OCFS from optimized frozen extract can be purified directly using a streamlined purification process that yields a biologically active cytokine, human granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor, produced at titers of 700 mg/L in 10 h. These results represent a milestone for in vitro protein synthesis, with potential for the cGMP production of disulfide-bonded biotherapeutic proteins. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2011; 108:1570–1578. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc

A Study of the Residual 39Ar Content in Argon from Underground Sources

The discovery of argon from underground sources with significantly less 39Ar than atmospheric argon was an important step in the development of direct-detection dark matter experiments using argon as the active target. We report on the design and operation of a low background detector with a single phase liquid argon target that was built to study the 39Ar content of the underground argon. Underground argon from the Kinder Morgan CO2 plant in Cortez, Colorado was determined to have less than 0.65% of the 39Ar activity in atmospheric argon.Comment: 21 pages, 10 figure

μ-Opioid receptor 6-transmembrane isoform: A potential therapeutic target for new effective opioids

6TM MOR is a functional isoform of μ-opioid receptor.6TM MOR has a different cellular localization with respect to 7TM-MOR.6TM MOR may signal via different cellular pathways with respect to 7TM MOR.6TM MOR stimulation may mediate excitatory cellular effects.The μ-opioid receptor (MOR) is the primary target for opioid analgesics. MOR induces analgesia through the inhibition of second messenger pathways and the modulation of ion channels activity. Nevertheless, cellular excitation has also been demonstrated, and proposed to mediate reduction of therapeutic efficacy and opioid-induced hyperalgesia upon prolonged exposure to opioids. In this mini-perspective, we review the recently identified, functional MOR isoform subclass, which consists of six transmembrane helices (6TM) and may play an important role in MOR signaling. There is evidence that 6TM MOR signals through very different cellular pathways and may mediate excitatory cellular effects rather than the classic inhibitory effects produced by the stimulation of the major (7TM) isoform. Therefore, the development of 6TM and 7TM MOR selective compounds represents a new and exciting opportunity to better understand the mechanisms of action and the pharmacodynamic properties of a new class of opioids

Collisional Velocities and Rates in Resonant Planetesimal Belts

We consider a belt of small bodies around a star, captured in one of the external or 1:1 mean-motion resonances with a massive perturber. The objects in the belt collide with each other. Combining methods of celestial mechanics and statistical physics, we calculate mean collisional velocities and collisional rates, averaged over the belt. The results are compared to collisional velocities and rates in a similar, but non-resonant belt, as predicted by the particle-in-a-box method. It is found that the effect of the resonant lock on the velocities is rather small, while on the rates more substantial. The collisional rates between objects in an external resonance are by about a factor of two higher than those in a similar belt of objects not locked in a resonance. For Trojans under the same conditions, the collisional rates may be enhanced by up to an order of magnitude. Our results imply, in particular, shorter collisional lifetimes of resonant Kuiper belt objects in the solar system and higher efficiency of dust production by resonant planetesimals in debris disks around other stars.Comment: 31 pages, 11 figures (some of them heavily compressed to fit into arxiv-maximum filesize), accepted for publication at "Celestial Mechanics and Dynamical Astronomy

Hematopoietic Cell Types: Prototype for a Revised Cell Ontology

The Cell Ontology (CL) is an OBO Foundry candidate ontology intended for the representation of cell types from all of biology. A recent workshop sponsored by NIAID on hematopoietic cell types in the CL addressed issues of both the content and structure of the CL. The section of the ontology dealing with hematopoietic cells was extensively revised, and plans were made for restructuring these cell type terms as cross-products with logical definitions based on relationships to external ontologies, such as the Protein Ontology and the Gene Ontology. The improvements to the CL in this area represent a paradigm for the future revision of the whole of the CL

Estimated incidence of previously undetected atrial fibrillation on a 14-day continuous electrocardiographic monitor and associated risk of stroke

Aims There is uncertainty about whether and how to perform screening for atrial fibrillation (AF). To estimate the incidence of previously undetected AF that would be captured using a continuous 14-day ECG monitor and the associated risk of stroke. Methods and results We analysed data from a cohort of patients >65 years old with hypertension and a pacemaker, but without known AF. For each participant, we simulated 1000 ECG monitors by randomly selecting 14-day windows in the 6 months following enrolment and calculated the average AF burden (total time in AF). We used Cox proportional hazards models adjusted for CHA(2)DS(2)-VASc score to estimate the risk of subsequent ischaemic stroke or systemic embolism (SSE) associated with burdens of AF > and 6 min was 3.10% (95% CI 2.53-3.72). This was consistent across strata of age and CHA(2)DS(2)-VASc scores. Over a mean follow-up of 2.4 years, the rate of SSE among patients with 6 min of AF. Conclusions Approximately 3% of individuals aged >65 years with hypertension may have more than 6 min of AF detected by a 14-day ECG monitor. This is associated with a stroke risk of over 2% per year. Whether oral anticoagulation will reduce stroke in these patients is unknown

The fundamental constants and their variation: observational status and theoretical motivations

This article describes the various experimental bounds on the variation of the fundamental constants of nature. After a discussion on the role of fundamental constants, of their definition and link with metrology, the various constraints on the variation of the fine structure constant, the gravitational, weak and strong interactions couplings and the electron to proton mass ratio are reviewed. This review aims (1) to provide the basics of each measurement, (2) to show as clearly as possible why it constrains a given constant and (3) to point out the underlying hypotheses. Such an investigation is of importance to compare the different results, particularly in view of understanding the recent claims of the detections of a variation of the fine structure constant and of the electron to proton mass ratio in quasar absorption spectra. The theoretical models leading to the prediction of such variation are also reviewed, including Kaluza-Klein theories, string theories and other alternative theories and cosmological implications of these results are discussed. The links with the tests of general relativity are emphasized.Comment: 56 pages, l7 figures, submitted to Rev. Mod. Phy