Obstructions to the existence of fold maps

We study smooth maps between smooth manifolds with only fold points as their singularities, and clarify the obstructions to the existence of such a map in a given homotopy class for certain dimensions. The obstructions are described in terms of characteristic classes, which arise as Postnikov invariants, and can be interpreted as primary and secondary obstructions to the elimination of certain singularities. We also discuss the relationship between the existence problem of fold maps and that of vector fields of stabilized tangent bundles.Comment: 17 pages; the final version of the preprint will be published in the Journal of the LM

Inhibition by drugs of passive cutaneous anaphylaxis-induced skin histamine decrease.

Passive cutaneous anaphylaxis (PCA) was produced in the rat with mouse IgE-rich antiserum. The effect of drugs on the PCA-induced skin histamine decrease and leakage of protein-bound dye was studied. Salbutamol (0.5 mg/kg i.v. or 1.0 mg/kg s.c.) and cromoglycate (10 mg/kg i.v.) significantly inhibited the skin histamine decrease. A combination of salbutamol (0.5 mg/kg i.v. or 1.0 mg/kg s.c.) and aminophylline (25 mg/kg i.v. or 75 mg/kg s.c.) had an additive or greater than additive effect on the histamine decrease. Salbutamol (1.0 mg/kg s.c.) inhibited the dye leakage markedly, and aminophylline (75 mg/kg s.c.) slightly. These results indicate that the decrease in the skin histamine content is useful as an index of the in vivo inhibitory effect of antiallergic drugs on the antigen-induced histamine release.</p

Ferrocenylnaphthalene Diimide-Based Electrochemical Detection of Aberrant Methylation in hTERT Gene

Since aberrant methylation at CpG sites is linked to the silencing of tumor suppressor genes, DNA methylation analysis is important for cancer diagnosis. We developed ferrocenylnaphthalene diimide (FND), which has two ferrocenyl moieties at the substituent termini, as an electrochemical indicator for hybridized DNA duplexes. In this study, we attempted to detect aberrant methylation of human telomerase reverse transcriptase gene (hTERT), an efficient cancer marker, using FND-based hybridization coupled with electrochemical detection via a multi-electrode chip

Cooking Vessels, Volumes, and Venues: Evidence from LM IIIC Kavousi Vronda and Karphi

Glowacki, K.T., and L.P. Day. “Cooking Vessels, Volumes, and Venues: Evidence from LM IIIC Kavousi Vronda and Karphi.” Abstract of paper read at Διατροφικές συνήθειες και πρακτικές στην Κρήτη διαχρονικά [Dietary Habits and Practices in Crete over Time], Museum of Cretan Ethnology, Voroi, Crete, Greece, September 9–10, 2017.Our understanding of diet and culinary practices at the Late Minoan IIIC settlement sites of Kavousi Vronda and Karphi is based upon several different types of physical evidence that have been recovered through excavation. These include the botanical and faunal remains of plants and animals available to and consumed by the inhabitants; ceramic vessels used for the cooking and consumption of food and drink; built and fixed cooking installations, such as hearths and ovens; and the architectural spaces within the settlements where food preparation and consumption most likely took place. Each type of evidence is, by itself, incomplete and dependent upon differential preservation resulting from site formation processes specific to each archaeological context. Taken together, however, they allow us to gain important insights into key aspects of food cultivation, provisioning, processing, preparation, and convivial practices on Crete in the 12th and 11th centuries BC. In this paper, we will compare and contrast the evidence for food preparation and dining at each site, paying special attention to the forms and sizes of ceramic vessels used for cooking and consumption

miR-378a-3p modulates tamoxifen sensitivity in breast cancer MCF-7 cells through targeting GOLT1A

Breast cancer is a hormone-dependent cancer and usually treated with endocrine therapy using aromatase inhibitors or anti-estrogens such as tamoxifen. A majority of breast cancer, however, will often fail to respond to endocrine therapy. In the present study, we explored miRNAs associated with endocrine therapy resistance in breast cancer. High-throughput miRNA sequencing was performed using RNAs prepared from breast cancer MCF-7 cells and their derivative clones as endocrine therapy resistant cell models, including tamoxifen-resistant (TamR) and long-term estrogen-deprived (LTED) MCF-7 cells. Notably, miR-21 was the most abundantly expressed miRNA in MCF-7 cells and overexpressed in TamR and LTED cells. We found that miR-378a-3p expression was downregulated in TamR and LTED cells as well as in clinical breast cancer tissues. Additionally, lower expression levels of miR-378a-3p were associated with poor prognosis for tamoxifen-treated patients with breast cancer. GOLT1A was selected as one of the miR-378a-3p candidate target genes by in silico analysis. GOLT1A was overexpressed in breast cancer specimens and GOLT1A-specific siRNAs inhibited the growth of TamR cells. Low GOLT1A levels were correlated with better survival in patients with breast cancer. These results suggest that miR-378a-3p-dependent GOLT1A expression contributes to the mechanisms underlying breast cancer endocrine resistance

Resurrection of a Bull by Cloning from Organs Frozen without Cryoprotectant in a −80°C Freezer for a Decade

Frozen animal tissues without cryoprotectant have been thought to be inappropriate for use as a nuclear donor for somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). We report the cloning of a bull using cells retrieved from testicles that had been taken from a dead animal and frozen without cryoprotectant in a −80°C freezer for 10 years. We obtained live cells from defrosted pieces of the spermatic cords of frozen testicles. The cells proliferated actively in culture and were apparently normal. We transferred 16 SCNT embryos from these cells into 16 synchronized recipient animals. We obtained five pregnancies and four cloned calves developed to term. Our results indicate that complete genome sets are maintained in mammalian organs even after long-term frozen-storage without cryoprotectant, and that live clones can be produced from the recovered cells