BRCA1 Zinc RING Finger Domain Disruption Alters Caspase Response in Ovarian Surface Epithelial Cells

BACKGROUND: The frequently occurring 185delAG mutation occurs in the amino-terminal zinc RING domain of the breast and ovarian cancer susceptibility gene, BRCA1. We sought to determine differential cell viability and apoptotic response of human ovarian surface epithelial cells with and without the 185delAG mutation. RESULTS: BRCA1wt and BRCA1+ cells were treated with staurosporine. Cell proliferation assays showed BRCA1wt cells grew to a greater extent compared to BRCA1+ cells. Trypan blue exclusion assays confirmed this observation. Western immunoblot analysis revealed that caspase 3 levels were higher after staurosporine treatment in BRCA1+ cells than in wild type cells, while full length DNA Fragmentation Factor 45 levels were lower in BRCA1+ cells. While there was no significant difference in levels of excision repair cross complementing protein1 (ERCC1) with BRCA1 status, BRCA1+ cells demonstrated cleavage of polyribose ADP polymerase (PARP) before wild type cells. CONCLUSIONS: Disruption of the BRCA1 RING domain caused altered cell viability and caspase-dependent apoptotic response after chemotoxic stress

Morphology captures function in phytoplankton : a large-scale analysis of phytoplankton communities in relation to their environment

Predicting phytoplankton community dynamics in detail seems an overwhelming task as there are so many species, and a myriad of combinations of potential conditioning factors. Furthermore, even with full knowledge of all aspects of species biology intrinsic chaos in communities may make detailed prediction fundamentally impossible. Aggregated estimators of phytoplankton communities may work to predict overall community responses to varying environmental conditions. However, phytoplankton species differ strongly in their effect on ecosystem functioning and ecosystem services. Therefore, it is important to consider community composition rather than just biomass. This thesis focuses on the question whether species might be clustered in groups that are reasonably homogeneous in a functional sense, and might be better predictable from environmental conditions than individual species. To answer this question we first explored the factors that affect richness and biomass at the species level and then evaluated how well trait-based groups of species capture function and may be predicted from environmental conditions. We used a large data base including more than 700 species from 200 lakes in different climate zones and continents

Stereochemistry of malkanguniol and stereostructures of some other related polyalcohols from celastrus paniculatus willd

This article does not have an abstract

Household decision-making about delivery in health facilities: evidence from Tanzania.

This study investigated how partners' perceptions of the healthcare system influence decisions about delivery-location in low-resource settings. A multistage population-representative sample was used in Kasulu district, Tanzania, to identify women who had given birth in the last five years and their partners. Of 826 couples in analysis, 506 (61.3%) of the women delivered in the home. In multivariate analysis, factors associated with delivery in a health facility were agreement of partners on the importance of delivering in a health facility and agreement that skills of doctors are better than those of traditional birth attendants. When partners disagreed, the opinion of the woman was more influential in determining delivery-location. Agreement of partners regarding perceptions about the healthcare system appeared to be an important driver of decisions about delivery-location. These findings suggest that both partners should be included in the decision-making process regarding delivery to raise rates of delivery at facility

Genetics of seam fat in cattle

The document attached has been archived with permission from the World Congress on Genetics Applied to Livestock Production.As far as most consumers are concerned, a good steak is a steak with visibly desirable colour (doneness), a large portion of muscle and a small amount of fat, especially the seam fat located between the muscles. During the intensive growth to commercial slaughter weights in feedlots, there is a distinct change in the composition of the body with the amount of fat increasing and the musculature remaining reasonably constant (Pitchford and Bottema, 2000). Cattle breeds deposit fat at different rates and in different locations (subcutaneous, intermuscular or intramuscular). For example, early maturing Jersey cattle deposit more fat intramuscularly than late maturing Limousin cattle (Pitchford and Bottema, 2000). These differences suggest that there is a genetic basis for fat distribution. The aim of this study was to investigate the genetic variation in seam fat distribution within loin muscles of Jersey and Limousin cross cattle, independent from carcass size and fatness

Tornadic Behavior Related to Land-Falling Tropical Cyclones in the United States

The 2004 and 2005 North Atlantic hurricane seasons were among the most active and economically devastating for the United States, during which 18 tropical cyclones (TCs) made landfall. These TCs were analyzed using the International Best Tracks Archive for Climate Stewardship (IBTrACS) and Local Storm Reports (LSR) datasets to determine whether they produced tornadoes within a preferred quadrant and distance from the center of circulation of the TC. The land-falling TCs were tracked and analyzed through their weakening stages with tornado reports being classified based on the strength of the TC at the time of occurrence. Tornado reports were not included after the TC was classified as extratropical in the IBTrACS dataset. Over half of all tornado reports occurred when the TCs were rated at or below tropical storm strength. As expected, the northeast quadrant was the most dominate area where tornadic activity occurred. In addition, there were three distinct peaks in tornadic activity at distances of 75-100nm, 175-200nm, and 325-375nm from the center of the circulation. Another emphasis of this work used NEXRAD data to determine the best method of identifying potential tornadic storms within land-falling TCS. The most reliable radar product for the three TCs investigated was velocity couplets

Tornadic Behavior Related to Land-Falling Tropical Cyclones in the United States

The 2004 and 2005 North Atlantic hurricane seasons were among the most active and economically devastating for the United States, during which 18 tropical cyclones (TCs) made landfall. These TCs were analyzed using the International Best Tracks Archive for Climate Stewardship (IBTrACS) and Local Storm Reports (LSR) datasets to determine whether they produced tornadoes within a preferred quadrant and distance from the center of circulation of the TC. The land-falling TCs were tracked and analyzed through their weakening stages with tornado reports being classified based on the strength of the TC at the time of occurrence. Tornado reports were not included after the TC was classified as extratropical in the IBTrACS dataset. Over half of all tornado reports occurred when the TCs were rated at or below tropical storm strength. As expected, the northeast quadrant was the most dominate area where tornadic activity occurred. In addition, there were three distinct peaks in tornadic activity at distances of 75-100nm, 175-200nm, and 325-375nm from the center of the circulation. Another emphasis of this work used NEXRAD data to determine the best method of identifying potential tornadic storms within land-falling TCS. The most reliable radar product for the three TCs investigated was velocity couplets

Positioning system and lithographic projection apparatus

A lithographic apparatus has a positioning system for positioning an object table, said positioning system comprising a planar motor having a stator (10) and a translator (20), one of said stator and said translator comprising a periodic magnet structure (13-15) and the other of said stator and said translator comprising a plurality of energizable coils (21-24). The phase relationship between stator and translator of the planar motor is determined by: energizing a plurality of said energizable coils in turn with an oscillating signal sufficient to cause vibrations of said translator having an amplitude less than the period of said periodic magnet structure; measuring said vibrations of said translator; and determining the phase relationship between said translator and said stator on the basis of said measured vibrations. Alternatively, the relationship between stator and translator is be determined by detecting means detecting distinct optical marks on the periodic magnet array. Control means determine the relationship between said translator and said stator on the basis of detected distinct optical marks

Positioning system and lithographic projection apparatus

A lithographic apparatus has a positioning system for positioning an object table, said positioning system comprising a planar motor having a stator (10) and a translator (20), one of said stator and said translator comprising a periodic magnet structure (13-15) and the other of said stator and said translator comprising a plurality of energizable coils (21-24). The phase relationship between stator and translator of the planar motor is determined by: energizing a plurality of said energizable coils in turn with an oscillating signal sufficient to cause vibrations of said translator having an amplitude less than the period of said periodic magnet structure; measuring said vibrations of said translator; and determining the phase relationship between said translator and said stator on the basis of said measured vibrations. Alternatively, the relationship between stator and translator is be determined by detecting means detecting distinct optical marks on the periodic magnet array. Control means determine the relationship between said translator and said stator on the basis of detected distinct optical marks