Are there functional consequences of a reduction in selenium intake in UK subjects?

Dietary Se levels in the UK have fallen over the last 20 years and recent surveys indicate that average Se intakes are 30-40 microg/d, which is well below the current UK reference nutrient intake for adult men (75 microg/d) or women (60 microg/d). Functional consequences of this decline have not been recognised, although epidemiological data suggest it may contribute to increased risk of infections and incidence of some cancers. Previous data have indicated that biochemical changes in Se-dependent proteins occur in otherwise healthy UK subjects given small Se supplements. The current studies have focused on the effect of small Se supplements on the immune response since there is evidence of specific interactions between Se intake and viral replication, and since the potential anti-cancer effects of Se may be mediated by non-antioxidant effects of Se such as changes in immune function. Data indicate that subjects given small Se supplements (50 or 100 microg Se/d) have changes in the activity of Se-dependent enzymes and evidence of improved immune function and clearance of an administered live attenuated virus in the form of poliovirus vaccine. Responses of individual subjects to Se supplements are variable, and current work is evaluating potential explanations for this variability, including genetic variability and pre-existing Se status

The performance of plant species in removing nutrients from stormwater in biofiltration systems in Cape Town

In 2009, the City of Cape Town (CoCT) adopted a stormwater policy which mandates that new and existing developments should reduce the concentration of phosphorus and suspended solids in stormwater runoff by 45% and 80%, respectively, but offered no explicit guidance about how these water quality targets might be achieved. This study aims to contribute to the limited knowledge that exists about the performance of local plant species to treat stormwater. A large nursery-based study was conducted to investigate the performance of 9 locally-occurring plant species to remove orthophosphate (PO4-3), ammonia (NH3) and nitrate (NO3-) found in urban stormwater. Synthetic stormwater was applied to each species as well as a control consisting only of soil (Malmesbury shale). The discharge was collected from a drainage pipe at the base of each of the 150 containers. The results show that all species (excluding Ficinia) reduced the average concentrations of PO4-3 by 81% and NH3 by 90%. By contrast, NO3- was reduced by an average of 69% (excluding by Elegia and Phragmites) with 8 of the 9 species removing significantly more than the control. The species that performed well for all three nutrients include Agapanthus and turf grasses, Stenotaphrum and Pennisetum. The results of the study highlight three important factors in the design of biofilters: that a substantial proportion of nutrients can be captured or absorbed by plants; that the soil medium is an important factor in the removal of PO4-3 and NH3; and that plant choice is essential in the removal of NO3-. Future research should test plant species in both the laboratory and field settings, and should include additional contaminants such as household detergents, heavy metals and bacteria

Chk1 inhibits replication factory activation but allows dormant origin firing in existing factories

Replication origins are licensed by loading MCM2-7 hexamers before entry into S phase. However, only ∼10% of licensed origins are normally used in S phase, with the others remaining dormant. When fork progression is inhibited, dormant origins initiate nearby to ensure that all of the DNA is eventually replicated. In apparent contrast, replicative stress activates ataxia telangiectasia and rad-3–related (ATR) and Chk1 checkpoint kinases that inhibit origin firing. In this study, we show that at low levels of replication stress, ATR/Chk1 predominantly suppresses origin initiation by inhibiting the activation of new replication factories, thereby reducing the number of active factories. At the same time, inhibition of replication fork progression allows dormant origins to initiate within existing replication factories. The inhibition of new factory activation by ATR/Chk1 therefore redirects replication toward active factories where forks are inhibited and away from regions that have yet to start replication. This minimizes the deleterious consequences of fork stalling and prevents similar problems from arising in unreplicated regions of the genome

The Dzhungarian fault: Late Quaternary tectonics and slip rate of a major right-lateral strike-slip fault in the northern Tien Shan region

The Dzhungarian strike-slip fault of Central Asia is one of a series of long, NW-SE right-lateral strike-slip faults that are characteristic of the northern Tien Shan region and extends over 300 km from the high mountains into the Kazakh Platform. Our field-based and satellite observations reveal that the Dzhungarian fault can be characterized by three 100 km long sections based on variation in strike direction. Through morphological analysis of offset streams and alluvial fans, and through optically stimulated luminescence dating, we find that the Dzhungarian fault has a minimum average late Quaternary slip rate of 2.2 ± 0.8 mm/yr and accommodates N-S shortening related to the India-Eurasia collision. This shortening may also be partly accommodated by counterclockwise rotation about a vertical axis. Evidence for a possible paleo-earthquake rupture indicates that earthquakes up to at least Mw 7 can be associated with just the partitioned component of reverse slip on segments of the central section of the fault up to 30 km long. An event rupturing longer sections of the Dzhungarian fault has the potential to generate greater magnitude earthquakes (Mw 8); however, long time periods (e.g., thousands of years) are expected in order to accumulate enough strain to generate such earthquakes.We thank the Royal Society International Travel Grant, Mike Coward Fund of the Geological Society of London, Percy Sladen Fund of the Linnean Society, The Gilchrist Educational Trust, and the Earth and Space Foundation for their support in funding this project. GEC’s doctoral studentship is funded by the National Environmental Research Council through NCEO, COMET, and the NERC-ESRC funded Earthquakes without Frontiers (EWF) Project. RTW is supported by a University Research Fellowship awarded by the Royal Society.This is the final version of the article, originally published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth. It is also available from Wiley at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jgrb.50367/abstract. © 2013. American Geophysical Unio

Lightweight Mechanical Metamaterials with Tunable Negative Thermal Expansion

Ice floating on water is a great manifestation of negative thermal expansion (NTE) in nature. The limited examples of natural materials possessing NTE have stimulated research on engineered structures. Previous studies on NTE structures were mostly focused on theoretical design with limited experimental demonstration in two-dimensional planar geometries. In this work, aided with multimaterial projection microstereolithography, we experimentally fabricate lightweight multimaterial lattices that exhibit significant negative thermal expansion in three directions and over a temperature range of 170 degrees. Such NTE is induced by the structural interaction of material components with distinct thermal expansion coefficients. The NTE can be tuned over a large range by varying the thermal expansion coefficient difference between constituent beams and geometrical arrangements. Our experimental results match qualitatively with a simple scaling law and quantitatively with computational models.United States. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. Materials with Controlled Microstructural Architectures ProgramLawrence Livermore National Laboratory (Award DE-AC52-07NA27344 (LLNL-JRNL-697779))SUTD-MIT Postdoctoral Progra

The controversy in the γγ→ρρ\gamma\gamma\to\rho\rho process: potential scattering or qqqˉqˉqq\bar{q}\bar{q} resonance ?

The $\gamma\gamma\to\rho^0\rho^0\to 4 \pi$ reaction shows a broad peak at 1.5 GeV in the $(J^P,J_z)=(2^+,2)$ channel which has no counterpart in the $\rho^+\rho^-$ channel. This "resonance" is considered as a candidate for a $qq\bar q\bar q$ state in the "s-channel". We show, however, that it can also be explained by potential scattering of $\rho^0\rho^0$ via the $\sigma$- exchange in the "t-channel".Comment: 12 pages, latex, 3 postscript figures, to appear in Zeitschrift fur Physi

Convergence rate of dimension reduction in Bose-Einstein condensates

In this paper, we study dimension reduction of the three-dimensional (3D) Gross-Pitaevskii equation (GPE) modelling Bose-Einstein condensation under different limiting interaction and trapping frequencies parameter regimes. Convergence rates for the dimension reduction of 3D ground state and dynamics of the GPE in the case of disk-shaped condensation and cigar-shaped condensation are reported based on our asymptotic and numerical results. In addition, the parameter regimes in which the 3D GPE cannot be reduced to lower dimensions are identified.Comment: 27pages; 9 figure

The permeability of SPION over an artificial three-layer membrane is enhanced by external magnetic field

BACKGROUND: Sensorineural hearing loss, a subset of all clinical hearing loss, may be correctable through the use of gene therapy. We are testing a delivery system of therapeutics through a 3 cell-layer round window membrane model (RWM model) that may provide an entry of drugs or genes to the inner ear. We designed an in vitro RWM model similar to the RWM (will be referred to throughout the paper as RWM model) to determine the feasibility of using superparamagnetic iron oxide (Fe(3)O(4)) nanoparticles (SPION) for targeted delivery of therapeutics to the inner ear. The RWM model is a 3 cell-layer model with epithelial cells cultured on both sides of a small intestinal submucosal (SIS) matrix and fibroblasts seeded in between. Dextran encapsulated nanoparticle clusters 130 nm in diameter were pulled through the RWM model using permanent magnets with flux density 0.410 Tesla at the pole face. The SIS membranes were harvested at day 7 and then fixed in 4% paraformaldehyde. Transmission electron microscopy and fluorescence spectrophotometry were used to verify transepithelial transport of the SPION across the cell-culture model. Histological sections were examined for evidence of SPION toxicity, as well to generate a timeline of the position of the SPION at different times. SPION also were added to cells in culture to assess in vitro toxicity. RESULTS: Transepithelial electrical resistance measurements confirmed epithelial confluence, as SPION crossed a membrane consisting of three co-cultured layers of cells, under the influence of a magnetic field. Micrographs showed SPION distributed throughout the membrane model, in between cell layers, and sometimes on the surface of cells. TEM verified that the SPION were pulled through the membrane into the culture well below. Fluorescence spectrophotometry quantified the number of SPION that went through the SIS membrane. SPION showed no toxicity to cells in culture. CONCLUSION: A three-cell layer model of the human round window membrane has been constructed. SPION have been magnetically transported through this model, allowing quantitative evaluation of prospective targeted drug or gene delivery through the RWM. Putative in vivo carrier superparamagnetic nanoparticles may be evaluated using this model

Double optimal density gradients for harmonic generation from relativistically oscillating plasma surfaces

The influence of plasma density gradients on the harmonic generation process from relativistically oscillating mirror (ROM) is studied experimentally. It is observed that the harmonic intensities from orders of 21 st to 24 th first drop and then reach the maximum value with the increase of plasma scale length L. 2D particle-in-cell simulations are performed to investigate the intensities of high-order harmonics at different L values, which show that there are two optimal scale lengths Lopt for efficient ROM harmonic generation. The two optimal Lopt values are interpreted by a quasi-1D analytical model. By matching the potential energies provided by laser pulse and charge displacement in the plasma with an exponential distributed density profile, the model can quantitatively predict the optimal Lopt at the given laser incidence angle and intensity. Our work is beneficial for better understanding the role of L in ROM harmonic generation and the parameters affecting the optimal Lop