430 research outputs found
A simple model of reactor cores for reactor neutrino flux calculations for the KamLAND experiment
KamLAND is a reactor neutrino oscillation experiment with a very long
baseline. This experiment successfully measured oscillation phenomena of
reactor antineutrinos coming mainly from 53 reactors in Japan. In order to
extract the results, it is necessary to accurately calculate time-dependent
antineutrino spectra from all the reactors. A simple model of reactor cores and
code implementing it were developed for this purpose. This paper describes the
model of the reactor cores used in the KamLAND reactor analysis.Comment: 14 pages, 7 figures, submitted to Nuclear Instruments and Methods in
Physics Research
Fatty acid binding protein deletion suppresses inflammatory pain through endocannabinoid/N-acylethanolamine-dependent mechanisms
Background Fatty acid binding proteins (FABPs) serve as intracellular carriers that deliver endocannabinoids and N-acylethanolamines to their catabolic enzymes. Inhibition of FABPs reduces endocannabinoid transport and catabolism in cells and FABP inhibitors produce antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory effects in mice. Potential analgesic effects in mice lacking FABPs, however, have not been tested. Findings Mice lacking FABP5 and FABP7, which exhibit highest affinities for endocannabinoids, possessed elevated levels of the endocannabinoid anandamide and the related N-acylethanolamines palmitoylethanolamide and oleoylethanolamide. There were no compensatory changes in the expression of other FABPs or in endocannabinoid-related proteins in the brains of FABP5/7 knockout mice. These mice exhibited reduced nociception in the carrageenan, formalin, and acetic acid tests of inflammatory and visceral pain. The antinociceptive effects in FABP5/7 knockout mice were reversed by pretreatment with cannabinoid receptor 1, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha, and transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 receptor antagonists in a modality specific manner. Lastly, the knockout mice did not possess motor impairments. Conclusions This study demonstrates that mice lacking FABPs possess elevated levels of N-acylethanolamines, consistent with the idea that FABPs regulate the endocannabinoid and N-acylethanolamine tone in vivo. The antinociceptive effects observed in the knockout mice support a role for FABPs in regulating nociception and suggest that these proteins should serve as targets for the development of future analgesics
The first observed stellar occultations by the irregular satellite Phoebe (Saturn IX) and improved rotational period
peer reviewedWe report six stellar occultations by Phoebe (Saturn IX), an irregular satellite of Saturn, obtained between mid-2017 and mid-2019. The 2017 July 6 event was the first stellar occultation by an irregular satellite ever observed. The occultation chords were compared to a 3D shape model of the satellite obtained from Cassini observations. The rotation period available in the literature led to a sub-observer point at the moment of the observed occultations where the chords could not fit the 3D model. A procedure was developed to identify the correct sub-observer longitude. It allowed us to obtain the rotation period with improved precision compared to the currently known value from literature. We show that the difference between the observed and the predicted sub-observer longitude suggests two possible solutions for the rotation period. By comparing these values with recently observed rotational light curves and single- chord stellar occultations, we can identify the best solution for Phoebe's rotational period as 9.27365 ± 0.00002 h. From the stellar occultations, we also obtained six geocentric astrometric positions in the ICRS as realized by the Gaia DR2 with uncertainties at the 1-mas level
Boring bivalve traces in modern reef and deeper-water macroid and rhodolith beds
Macroids and rhodoliths, made by encrusting acervulinid foraminifera and coralline algae, are widely recognized as
bioengineers providing relatively stable microhabitats and increasing biodiversity for other species. Macroid and
rhodolith beds occur in different depositional settings at various localities and bathymetries worldwide. Six case
studies of macroid/rhodolith beds from 0 to 117m water depth in the Pacific Ocean (northern Central Ryukyu
Islands, French Polynesia), eastern Australia (Fraser Island, One Tree Reef, Lizard Island), and the Mediterranean Sea
(southeastern Spain) show that nodules in the beds are perforated by small-sized boring bivalve traces
(Gastrochanolites). On average, boring bivalve shells (gastrochaenids and mytilids) are more slender and smaller than
those living inside shallow-water rocky substrates. In the Pacific, Gastrochaena cuneiformis, Gastrochaena sp., Leiosolenus
malaccanus, L. mucronatus, L. spp., and Lithophaga/Leiosolenus sp., for the first time identified below 20m water depth,
occur as juvenile forms along with rare small-sized adults. In deep-water macroids and rhodoliths the boring bivalves
are larger than the shallower counterparts in which growth of juveniles is probably restrained by higher overturn rates
of host nodules. In general, most boring bivalves are juveniles that grew faster than the acervulinid foraminiferal and
coralline red algal hosts and rarely reached the adult stage. As a consequence of phenotypic plasticity, small-sized
adults with slow growth rates coexist with juveniles. Below wave base macroids and rhodoliths had the highest
amounts of bioerosion, mainly produced by sponges and polychaete worms. These modern observations provide
bases for paleobiological inferences in fossil occurrences.Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan (MEXT)
Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research (KAKENHI)
25247083Erasmus+FAR2012-2017FIR2016FIR2018PRIN "Biotic resilience to global change: biomineralization of planktonic and benthic calcifiers in the past, present and future"
2017RX9XXXYBioMed Central-Prepay Membership at the University of FerraraJunta de Andalucía
RNM 190Committee on ResearchMuseum of PaleontologyDepartment of Integrative Biology, UC BerkeleyUC Pacific Rim Projec
Proterozoic magma processes and evolution of continental lithosphere in the Sør Rondane Mountains, East Antarctica
第2回極域科学シンポジウム/第31回極域地学シンポジウム 11月17日(木) 国立極地研究所 2階大会議室前フロ
Field occurrence and chemical composition of the Vengen Granite in the Sør Rondane Mountains, East Antarctica
第2回極域科学シンポジウム/第31回極域地学シンポジウム 11月17日(木) 国立極地研究所 2階大会議室前フロ
Search for the Invisible Decay of Neutrons with KamLAND
The Kamioka Liquid scintillator Anti-Neutrino Detector (KamLAND) is used in a
search for single neutron or two neutron intra-nuclear disappearance that would
produce holes in the -shell energy level of C nuclei. Such holes
could be created as a result of nucleon decay into invisible modes (),
e.g. or . The de-excitation of the corresponding
daughter nucleus results in a sequence of space and time correlated events
observable in the liquid scintillator detector. We report on new limits for
one- and two-neutron disappearance: years
and years at 90% CL. These results
represent an improvement of factors of 3 and over previous
experiments.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure
Measurement of Neutrino Oscillation with KamLAND: Evidence of Spectral Distortion
We present results of a study of neutrino oscillation based on a 766 ton-year
exposure of KamLAND to reactor anti-neutrinos. We observe 258 \nuebar\
candidate events with energies above 3.4 MeV compared to 365.2 events expected
in the absence of neutrino oscillation. Accounting for 17.8 expected background
events, the statistical significance for reactor \nuebar disappearance is
99.998%. The observed energy spectrum disagrees with the expected spectral
shape in the absence of neutrino oscillation at 99.6% significance and prefers
the distortion expected from \nuebar oscillation effects. A two-neutrino
oscillation analysis of the KamLAND data gives \DeltaMSq =
7.9 eV. A global analysis of data from KamLAND
and solar neutrino experiments yields \DeltaMSq =
7.9 eV and \ThetaParam =
0.40, the most precise determination to date.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures; submitted to Phys.Rev.Letter
Midkine is a NF-κB-inducible gene that supports prostate cancer cell survival
BackgroundMidkine is a heparin-binding growth factor that is over-expressed in various human cancers and plays important roles in cell transformation, growth, survival, migration, and angiogenesis. However, little is known about the upstream factors and signaling mechanisms that regulate midkine gene expression.MethodsTwo prostate cancer cell lines LNCaP and PC3 were studied for their expression of midkine. Induction of midkine expression in LNCaP cells by serum, growth factors and cytokines was determined by Western blot analysis and/or real-time quantitative reverse-transcription - polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The cell viability was determined by the trypan blue exclusion assay when the LNCaP cells were treated with tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha) and/or recombinant midkine. When the LNCaP cells were treated with recombinant midkine, activation of intracellular signalling pathways was determined by Western blot analysis. Prostate tissue microarray slides containing 129 cases (18 normal prostate tissues, 40 early stage cancers, and 71 late stage cancers) were assessed for midkine expression by immunohistochemical staining.ResultsWe identified that fetal bovine serum, some growth factors (epidermal growth factor, androgen, insulin-like growth factor-I, and hepatocyte growth factor) and cytokines (TNFalpha and interleukin-1beta) induced midkine expression in a human prostate cancer cell line LNCaP cells. TNFalpha also induced midkine expression in PC3 cells. TNFalpha was the strongest inducer of midkine expression via nuclear factor-kappa B pathway. Midkine partially inhibited TNFalpha-induced apoptosis in LNCaP cells. Knockdown of endogenous midkine expression by small interfering RNA enhanced TNFalpha-induced apoptosis in LNCaP cells. Midkine activated extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways in LNCaP cells. Furthermore, midkine expression was significantly increased in late stage prostate cancer, which coincides with previously reported high serum levels of TNFalpha in advanced prostate cancer.ConclusionThese findings provide the first demonstration that midkine expression is induced by certain growth factors and cytokines, particularly TNFalpha, which offers new insight into understanding how midkine expression is increased in the late stage prostate cancer
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