11,385 research outputs found
A Dynamically Diluted Alignment Model Reveals the Impact of Cell Turnover on the Plasticity of Tissue Polarity Patterns
The polarisation of cells and tissues is fundamental for tissue morphogenesis
during biological development and regeneration. A deeper understanding of
biological polarity pattern formation can be gained from the consideration of
pattern reorganisation in response to an opposing instructive cue, which we
here consider by example of experimentally inducible body axis inversions in
planarian flatworms. Our dynamically diluted alignment model represents three
processes: entrainment of cell polarity by a global signal, local cell-cell
coupling aligning polarity among neighbours and cell turnover inserting
initially unpolarised cells. We show that a persistent global orienting signal
determines the final mean polarity orientation in this stochastic model.
Combining numerical and analytical approaches, we find that neighbour coupling
retards polarity pattern reorganisation, whereas cell turnover accelerates it.
We derive a formula for an effective neighbour coupling strength integrating
both effects and find that the time of polarity reorganisation depends linearly
on this effective parameter and no abrupt transitions are observed. This allows
to determine neighbour coupling strengths from experimental observations. Our
model is related to a dynamic -Potts model with annealed site-dilution and
makes testable predictions regarding the polarisation of dynamic systems, such
as the planarian epithelium.Comment: Preprint as prior to first submission to Journal of the Royal Society
Interface. 25 pages, 6 figures, plus supplement (18 pages, contains 1 table
and 7 figures). A supplementary movie is available from
https://dx.doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c388781
The Effects of Confining Pressure and Fluid Saturation on Ultrasonic Velocities in Rocks
Laboratory measurements of ultrasonic p- and S-wave velocities were made as
a function of confining pressure for vacuum dry, benzene-, and water-saturated
samples of Westerly granite, Bedford limestone, and Weber, Navajo, Berea, and
Kayenta sandstones. The measurements indicate: 1) water-saturated bulk moduli are
higher than benzene-saturated values, 2) fluid-saturated shear moduli are always
greater than or equal to dry values, and 3) water-saturated shear moduli for the
sandstones are higher than benzene values at low pressure while lower than both
benzene and dry values at higher pressure, Indicating that an apparent water-softening
effect Is concentrated In the shear modulus. Modelling of the velocity
measurements with the Blot (1956a) and Gassmann (1951) equations for static
effective bulk modulus indicates that it underestimates the increase in bulk modulus
and velocities caused by fluid saturation. Inertial effects of the pore fluid as treated
by Blot (1956a, 1956b) are also shown to give minimal improvement to predicted
velocities, which are underestimated. Velocity measurements are modelled with the
Cheng-Kuster-Toksoz ellipsoidal pore and crack model using the inversion technique
developed by Cheng (1978). Fits of dry and benzene-saturated velocities are shown
along with pore aspect ratio distributions at zero pressure. Water-saturated velocity
data and measured porosity reductions with pressure are compared with predictions
of the model
Singular behaviour of the electromagnetic field
The singularities of the electromagnetic field are derived to include all the
point-like multipoles representing an electric charge and current distribution.
Firstly derived in the static case, the result is generalized to the dynamic
one. We establish a simple procedure for passing from the first, to the second
case.Comment: Latex, 21.pages, no figure
Clonal Composition of Human Adrenocortical Neoplasms
The mechanisms of tumorigenesis of adrenocortical neoplasms are still not understood. Tumor formation may be the result of spontaneous transformation of adrenocortical cells by somatic mutations. Another factor stimulating adrenocortical cell growth and potentially associated with formation of adrenal adenomas and, less frequently, carcinomas is the chronic elevation of proopiomelanocortin-derived peptides in diseases like ACTH-dependent Cushing's syndrome and congenital adrenal hyperplasia. To further investigate the pathogenesis of adrenocortical neoplasms, we studied the clonal composition of such tumors using X-chromosome inactivation analysis of the highly polymorphic region Xcen-Xp11.4 with the hybridization probe M27ß, which maps to a variable number of tandem repeats on the X-chromsome. In addition, polymerase chain reaction amplification of a phosphoglycerokinase gene polymorphism was performed. After DNA extraction from tumorous adrenal tissue and normal leukocytes in parallel, the active X-chromosome of each sample was digested with the methylation-sensitive restriction enzyme HpaII. A second digestion with an appropriate restriction enzyme revealed the polymorphism of the region Xcen-Xp11.4 and the phosphoglycerokinase locus. Whereas in normal polyclonal tissue both the paternal and maternal alleles are detected, a monoclonal tumor shows only one of the parental alleles. A total of 21 female patients with adrenal lesions were analyzed; 17 turned out to be heterozygous for at least one of the loci. Our results were as follows: diffuse (n = 4) and nodular (n = 1) adrenal hyperplasia in patients with ACTH-dependent Cushing's syndrome, polyclonal pattern; adrenocortical adenomas (n = 8), monoclonal (n = 7), as well as polyclonal (n = 1); adrenal carcinomas (n = 3), monoclonal pattern. One metastasis of an adrenocortical carcinoma showed a pattern most likely due to tumor-associated loss of methylation. In the special case of a patient with bilateral ACTH-independent macronodular hyperplasia, diffuse hyperplastic areas and a small nodule showed a polyclonal pattern, whereas a large nodule was monoclonal. We conclude that most adrenal adenomas and carcinomas are monoclonal, whereas diffuse and nodular adrenal hyperplasias are polyclonal. The clonal composition of ACTH-independent massive macronodular hyperplasia seems to be heterogeneous, consisting of polyclonal and monoclonal areas
Pair Contact Process with Diffusion: Failure of Master Equation Field Theory
We demonstrate that the `microscopic' field theory representation, directly
derived from the corresponding master equation, fails to adequately capture the
continuous nonequilibrium phase transition of the Pair Contact Process with
Diffusion (PCPD). The ensuing renormalization group (RG) flow equations do not
allow for a stable fixed point in the parameter region that is accessible by
the physical initial conditions. There exists a stable RG fixed point outside
this regime, but the resulting scaling exponents, in conjunction with the
predicted particle anticorrelations at the critical point, would be in
contradiction with the positivity of the equal-time mean-square particle number
fluctuations. We conclude that a more coarse-grained effective field theory
approach is required to elucidate the critical properties of the PCPD.Comment: revtex, 8 pages, 1 figure include
Synthetic Aperture Radar observations of resonantly generated internal solitary waves at Race Point Channel (Cape Cod)
Author Posting. © American Geophysical Union, 2008. This article is posted here by permission of American Geophysical Union for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Journal of Geophysical Research 113 (2008): C11016, doi:10.1029/2008JC005004.Synthetic Aperture Radar images revealed the two-dimensional propagation characteristics of short-period internal solitary waves in Race Point Channel in Massachusetts Bay. The images and in situ measurements of the flow in the channel are used to infer the likely generation mechanism of the waves. The solitary waves are generated during the ebb phase of the tide within the channel. On some occasions, two trains of internal waves are generated presumably at the same location but at slightly different phases of the ebb tide. The main characteristics of the (two-layer) flow are described based on the criticality of the Froude number. It is suggested that these two individual packets of waves result from flow passage through resonance (where the Froude number is one). One packet is generated as the flow passes through the transcritical regime during the acceleration phase of the (ebb) tidal current, and another packet is generated during the deceleration phase. Both packets propagate upstream when the tide slacks, but with slightly different propagation directions.J. C. B. da Silva is grateful to
FCT for sabbatical leave support (BSAB/610/2006) and the Calouste
Gulbenkian Foundation for partial support. J. C. B. da Silva was supported
by FCT projects ‘‘SPOTIWAVE-II’’ (project code POCI/MAR/57836/2004)
and ‘‘AMAZING’’ (project code PDCTE/CTA/49953/2003). K. R. Helfrich
was supported by ONR grant N000140610798. This research was partially supported
by the Woods Hole Sea Grant Program (2008– 2010 cycle), under a grant
from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
U.S. Department of Commerce, Grant No. NA06OAR4170021, project
number R/O-40
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A Novel Survey Tool to Quantify the Degree and Duration of STEMI Regionalization Across California.
IntroductionCalifornia has been a global leader in regionalization efforts for time-critical medical conditions. A total of 33 local emergency medical service agencies (LEMSAs) exist, providing an organized EMS framework across the state for almost 40 years. We sought to develop a survey tool to quantify the degree and duration of ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) regionalization over the last decade in California.MethodsThe project started with the development of an 8-question survey tool via a multi-disciplinary expert consensus process. Next, the survey tool was distributed at the annual meeting of administrators and medical directors of California LEMSAs to get responses valid through December, 2014. The first scoring approach was the Total Regionalization Score (TRS) and used answers from all 8 questions. The second approach was called the Core Score, and it focused on only 4 survey questions by assuming that the designation of STEMI Receiving Centers must have occurred at the beginning of any LEMSA's regionalization effort. Scores were ranked and grouped into tertiles.ResultsAll 33 LEMSAs in California participated in this survey. The TRS ranged from 15 to 162. The Core Score range was much narrower, from 2 to 30. In comparing TRS and Core Score rankings, the top-tertiles were quite similar. More rank variation occurred between mid- and low-tertiles.ConclusionThis study evaluated the degree and duration of STEMI network regionalization from 2004 to 2014 in California, and ranked 33 LEMSAs into tertiles based upon their TRS and their Core Score. Successful application of the 8-item survey and ranking strategies across California suggests that this approach can be used to assess regionalization in other states or countries around the world
Coastal water source of short‐lived halocarbons in New England
Short‐lived halocarbon tracers were used to investigate marine influences on air quality in a coastal region of New England. Atmospheric measurements made at the University of New Hampshire\u27s Observing Station at Thompson Farm (TF) in Durham, New Hampshire, indicate that relatively large amounts of halocarbons are emitted from local estuarine and coastal oceanic regions. Bromine‐containing halocarbons of interest in this work include bromoform (CHBr3) and dibromomethane (CH2Br2). The mean mixing ratios of CHBr3 and CH2Br2 from 11 January to 5 March 2002 were 2.6 pptv and 1.6 pptv, and from 1 June to 31 August 2002 mean mixing ratios were 5.9 pptv and 1.4 pptv, respectively. The mean mixing ratio of CHBr3 was not only highest during summer, but both CHBr3 and CH2Br2 exhibited large variability in their atmospheric mixing ratios during this season. We attribute the greater variability to increased production combined with faster atmospheric removal rates. Other seasonal characteristics of CHBr3 and CH2Br2 in the atmosphere, as well as the impact of local meteorology on their distributions at this coastal site, are discussed. Tetrachloroethene (C2Cl4) and trichloroethene (C2HCl3) were used to identify time periods influenced by urban emissions. Additionally, measurements of CHBr3, CH2Br2, C2Cl4, methyl iodide (CH3I), and ethyl iodide (C2H5I) were made at TF and five sites throughout the nearby Great Bay estuarine area between 18 and 19 August 2003. These measurements were used to elucidate the effect of the tidal cycle on the distributions of these gases. The mean mixing ratios of CHBr3, CH2Br2, CH3I, and C2H5I were ∼82%, 46%, 14%, and 17% higher, respectively, near the coast compared to inland sites, providing evidence for a marine source of short‐lived halocarbons at TF. Correlation between the tidal cycle and atmospheric concentrations of marine tracers on the night of 18 August 2003 showed that the highest values for the brominated species occurred ∼2–3 hours after high tide. Emission fluxes of CHBr3, CH2Br2, CH3I, and C2H5I on this night were estimated to be 26 ± 57, 4.7 ± 5.4, 5.9 ± 4.6, and 0.065 ± 0.20 nmol m−2 h−1, respectively. Finally, the anthropogenic source strength of CHBr3 was calculated to determine its impact on atmospheric levels observed in this region. Although our results indicate that anthropogenic contributions could potentially range from 15 to 60% of the total dissolved CHBr3 in the Great Bay, based on the observed ratio of CH2Br2/CHBr3 and surface seawater measurements in the Gulf of Maine, it appears unlikely that anthropogenic activities are a significant source of CHBr3 in the region
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