327 research outputs found
COVID-19 Response: Resources for Small and Mid-Size Farms in Mississippi
The COVID-19 pandemic presents a number of new and difficult challenges for families, small business owners, and food producers across the country. This Issue Brief provides an overview of the resources available to small and mid-size farms facing such challenges in Mississippi. The first section outlines current benefit programs that these farms can utilize, including loans and unemployment benefits, as a result of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and related federal actions. The second section provides policies that the State of Mississippi could enact to provide additional assistance to farms dealing with the crisis
Electrolyte measurements differ between point-of-care and reference analysers in dogs with hypoadrenocorticism
Introduction:
Dogs treated for hypoadrenocorticism are monitored through analysis of their blood electrolytes. This is routinely performed with pointâofâcare analysers and doses of medications are adjusted based on the results.
Objectives:
To investigate the performance of two pointâofâcare analysers (IDEXX Catalyst Dx and IDEXX VetStat) against a reference laboratory method for the measurement of blood sodium, potassium and chloride concentrations, as well as sodium: potassium ratios, in dogs diagnosed with and treated for hypoadrenocorticism.
Methods:
Fortyâeight dogs were enrolled into a prospective crossâsectional study. Paired blood samples were taken and tested on two pointâofâcare analysers and at a reference laboratory. Statistical analysis was then performed with BlandâAltman analysis and PassingâBablok regression. The clinical effects of inaccurate electrolyte analysis were investigated.
Results:
In total, 329 samples were tested on the Catalyst analyser, while another 72 samples were tested on the VetStat. PassingâBablok regression identified both proportional and constant bias for some analytes. There was poor agreement between sodium and chloride concentrations on both analysers. Both analysers tended to give higher results than the reference method for all analytes, except for potassium when measured on the VetStat.
Clinical Significance:
There are inherent differences between the electrolyte concentrations measured by these two pointâofâcare analysers and reference laboratory methods in dogs with hypoadrenocorticism
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Effects of metformin on retinoblastoma growth in vitro and in vivo
Recent studies suggest that the anti-diabetic drug metformin may reduce the risk of cancer and have anti-proliferative effects for some but not all cancers. In this study, we examined the effects of metformin on human retinoblastoma cell proliferation in vitro and in vivo. Two different human retinoblastoma cell lines (Y79, WERI) were treated with metformin in vitro and xenografts of Y79 cells were established in nu/nu immune-deficient mice and used to assess the effects of pharmacological levels of metformin in vivo. Metformin inhibited proliferation of the retinoblastoma cells in vitro. Similar to other studies, high concentrations of metformin (mM) blocked the cell cycle in G0âG1, indicated by a strong decrease of G1 cyclins, especially cyclin D, cyclin-dependent kinases (4 and 6), and flow cytometry assessment of the cell cycle. This was associated with activation of AMPK, inhibition of the mTOR pathways and autophagy marker LC3B. However, metformin failed to suppress growth of xenografted tumors of Y79 human retinoblastoma cells in nu/nu mice, even when treated with a maximally tolerated dose level achieved in human patients. In conclusion, suprapharmacological levels (mM) of metformin, well above those tolerated in vivo, inhibited the proliferation of retinoblastoma cells in vitro. However, physiological levels of metformin, such as seen in the clinical setting, did not affect the growth of retinoblastoma cells in vitro or in vivo. This suggests that the potential beneficial effects of metformin seen in epidemiological studies may be limited to specific tumor types or be related to indirect effects/mechanisms not observed under acute laboratory conditions
The First Extrasolar Planet Discovered with a New Generation High Throughput Doppler Instrument
We report the detection of the first extrasolar planet, ET-1 (HD 102195b),
using the Exoplanet Tracker (ET), a new generation Doppler instrument. The
planet orbits HD 102195, a young star with solar metallicity that may be part
of the local association. The planet imparts radial velocity variability to the
star with a semiamplitude of m s and a period of 4.11 days.
The planetary minimum mass () is .Comment: 42 pages, 11 figures and 5 tables, Accepted for publication in Ap
The Nab Experiment: A Precision Measurement of Unpolarized Neutron Beta Decay
Neutron beta decay is one of the most fundamental processes in nuclear
physics and provides sensitive means to uncover the details of the weak
interaction. Neutron beta decay can evaluate the ratio of axial-vector to
vector coupling constants in the standard model, , through
multiple decay correlations. The Nab experiment will carry out measurements of
the electron-neutrino correlation parameter with a precision of and the Fierz interference term to
in unpolarized free neutron beta decay. These results, along with a more
precise measurement of the neutron lifetime, aim to deliver an independent
determination of the ratio with a precision of that will allow an evaluation of and sensitively
test CKM unitarity, independent of nuclear models. Nab utilizes a novel, long
asymmetric spectrometer that guides the decay electron and proton to two large
area silicon detectors in order to precisely determine the electron energy and
an estimation of the proton momentum from the proton time of flight. The Nab
spectrometer is being commissioned at the Fundamental Neutron Physics Beamline
at the Spallation Neutron Source at Oak Ridge National Lab. We present an
overview of the Nab experiment and recent updates on the spectrometer,
analysis, and systematic effects.Comment: Presented at PPNS201
The Habitable Zone Planet Finder Reveals a High Mass and Low Obliquity for the Young Neptune K2-25b
Using radial velocity data from the Habitable Zone Planet Finder, we have measured the mass of the Neptune-sized planet K2-25b, as well as the obliquity of its M4.5 dwarf host star in the 600â800 Myr Hyades cluster. This is one of the youngest planetary systems for which both of these quantities have been measured and one of the very few M dwarfs with a measured obliquity. Based on a joint analysis of the radial velocity data, time-series photometry from the K2 mission, and new transit light curves obtained with diffuser-assisted photometry, the planet's radius and mass are 3.44 ± 0.12 R_â and 24.5_(-5.2)^(+5.7) M_â. These properties are compatible with a rocky core enshrouded by a thin hydrogenâhelium atmosphere (5% by mass). We measure an orbital eccentricity of e = 0.43 ± 0.05. The sky-projected stellar obliquity is λ = 3° ± 16°, compatible with spinâorbit alignment, in contrast to other "hot Neptunes" that have been studied around older stars
TOI-1728b: The Habitable-zone Planet Finder confirms a warm super Neptune orbiting an M dwarf host
We confirm the planetary nature of TOI-1728b using a combination of
ground-based photometry, near-infrared Doppler velocimetry and spectroscopy
with the Habitable-zone Planet Finder.TOI-1728 is an old, inactive M0 star with
\teff{} K, which hosts a transiting super Neptune at an
orbital period of 3.49 days. Joint fitting of the radial velocities and
TESS and ground-based transits yields a planetary radius of
R, mass M
and eccentricity . We estimate the stellar properties,
and perform a search for He 10830 \AA absorption during the transit of this
planet and claim a null detection with an upper limit of 1.1 with 90\%
confidence. A deeper level of He 10830 \AA ~ absorption has been detected in
the planet atmosphere of GJ 3470b, a comparable gaseous planet. TOI-1728b is
the largest super Neptune -- the intermediate subclass of planets between
Neptune and the more massive gas-giant planets -- discovered around an M dwarf.
With its relatively large mass and radius, TOI-1728 represents a valuable
datapoint in the M-dwarf exoplanet mass-radius diagram, bridging the gap
between the lighter Neptune-sized planets and the heavier Jovian planets known
to orbit M-dwarfs. With a low bulk density of g/cm,
and orbiting a bright host star (J , V ), TOI-1728b is
also a promising candidate for transmission spectroscopy both from the ground
and from space, which can be used to constrain planet formation and
evolutionary models.Comment: 21 pages, 12 figures, 4 tables: Accepted for publicatio
TOI-1728b: The Habitable-zone Planet Finder Confirms a Warm Super-Neptune Orbiting an M-dwarf Host
We confirm the planetary nature of TOI-1728b using a combination of ground-based photometry, near-infrared Doppler velocimetry and spectroscopy with the Habitable-zone Planet Finder. TOI-1728 is an old, inactive M0 star with T_(eff) = 3980âșÂłÂčâââ K, which hosts a transiting super-Neptune at an orbital period of ~3.49 days. Joint fitting of the radial velocities and TESS and ground-based transits yields a planetary radius of 5.05^(+0.16)_(-0.17) R_â, mass 26.78^(+5.43)_(-5.13) M_â, and eccentricity 0.057^(+0.054)_(-0.039). We estimate the stellar properties, and perform a search for He 10830 Ă
absorption during the transit of this planet and claim a null detection with an upper limit of 1.1% with 90% confidence. A deeper level of He 10830 Ă
absorption has been detected in the planet atmosphere of GJ 3470b, a comparable gaseous planet. TOI-1728b is the largest super-Neptuneâthe intermediate subclass of planets between Neptune and the more massive gas-giant planetsâdiscovered around an M dwarf. With its relatively large mass and radius, TOI-1728 represents a valuable data point in the M-dwarf exoplanet massâradius diagram, bridging the gap between the lighter Neptune-sized planets and the heavier Jovian planets known to orbit M dwarfs. With a low bulk density of 1.14^(+0.26)_(-0.24) g cmâ»Âł, and orbiting a bright host star (J ~ 9.6, V ~ 12.4), TOI-1728b is also a promising candidate for transmission spectroscopy both from the ground and from space, which can be used to constrain planet formation and evolutionary models
External Control of the GAL Network in S. cerevisiae: A View from Control Theory
While there is a vast literature on the control systems that cells utilize to regulate their own state, there is little published work on the formal application of control theory to the external regulation of cellular functions. This paper chooses the GAL network in S. cerevisiae as a well understood benchmark example to demonstrate how control theory can be employed to regulate intracellular mRNA levels via extracellular galactose. Based on a mathematical model reduced from the GAL network, we have demonstrated that a galactose dose necessary to drive and maintain the desired GAL genes' mRNA levels can be calculated in an analytic form. And thus, a proportional feedback control can be designed to precisely regulate the level of mRNA. The benefits of the proposed feedback control are extensively investigated in terms of stability and parameter sensitivity. This paper demonstrates that feedback control can both significantly accelerate the process to precisely regulate mRNA levels and enhance the robustness of the overall cellular control system
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