Magnetic field hourly averages from the Rome-GSFC experiment aboard Helios 1 and Helio 2

Plots of all the hourly averages computed from the solar magnetic field measurements obtained during the mission are given separately for Helios 1 and Helios 2. The magnitude and the direction of the averaged field are plotted versus the number of solar rotations as seen from Helios, counted from launch

Oil and gas:a blessing for the few. Hydrocarbons and inequality within regions in Russia

Building on earlier work on regional inequality in Russia the article seeks to demonstrate that the regional oil and gas abundance is associated with high within-region inequality. It provides empirical evidence that hydrocarbons represent one of the leading determinants of an increased gap between rich and poor in the producing regions. The discussion focuses on a possible cluster of geographic, economic and political factors underlying the phenomenon

Integrated workflow for evaluating sustainability and resiliency of building systems

This study describes the development of a workflow for integrated life-cycle assessment (iLCA) of buildings that is capable of capturing the dependencies between multi-hazard resilience and sustainability using tools native to professional practice. Modules dedicated to hazard characterization, structural response, damage, repair/loss, and environmental impact (embodied and operating energy) are developed using Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) and semantic data perspectives from computer science. A unifying probabilistic framework is utilized to quantify life-cycle performance and a common, versatile, simulation-based approach is adopted for estimation of performance. This approach supports various resilience/sustainability metrics, including monetary losses, downtime, total embodied energy (initial construction and repairs), and operating energy. A case study executed in the Revit environment evaluates the performance of a special reinforced concrete frame located near Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). Two design alternatives are considered to illustrate the impact of design and material decisions, ultimately revealing design choices which best achieve joint resiliency and sustainability.The authors gratefully acknowledge the support of NSF (CMMI-1537652). The first author also recognizes the support of her NSF Graduate Research Fellowship (DGE-1313583) and Deans Fellowship from the University of Notre Dame. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of NSF

Apoptosis and the activity of ceramide, Bax and Bcl-2 in the lungs of neonatal rats exposed to limited and prolonged hyperoxia

BACKGROUND: The aim of the study is to examine the effect of limited and prolonged hyperoxia on neonatal rat lung. This is done by examining the morphologic changes of apoptosis, the expression of ceramide, an important mediator of apoptosis, the expression of inflammatory mediators represented by IL-1β and the expression of 2 proto-oncogenes that appear to modulate apoptosis (Bax and Bcl-2). METHODS: Newborn rats were placed in chambers containing room air or oxygen above 90% for 7 days. The rats were sacrificed at 3, 7 or 14 days and their lungs removed. Sections were fixed, subjected to TUNEL, Hoechst, and E-Cadherin Staining. Sections were also incubated with anti-Bcl-2 and anti-Bax antisera. Bcl-2 and Bax were quantitated by immunohistochemistry. Lipids were extracted, and ceramide measured through a modified diacylglycerol kinase assay. RT-PCR was utilized to assess IL-1β expression. RESULTS: TUNEL staining showed significant apoptosis in the hyperoxia-exposed lungs at 3 days only. Co-staining of the apoptotic cells with Hoechst, and E-Cadherin indicated that apoptotic cells were mainly epithelial cells. The expression of Bax and ceramide was significantly higher in the hyperoxia-exposed lungs at 3 and 14 days of age, but not at 7 days. Bcl-2 was significantly elevated in the hyperoxia-exposed lungs at 3 and 14 days. IL-1β expression was significantly increased at 14 days. CONCLUSION: Exposure of neonatal rat lung to hyperoxia results in early apoptosis documented by TUNEL assay. The early rise in Bax and ceramide appears to overcome the anti-apoptotic activity of Bcl-2. Further exposure did not result in late apoptotic changes. This suggests that apoptotic response to hyperoxia is time sensitive. Prolonged hyperoxia results in acute lung injury and the shifting balance of ceramide, Bax and Bcl-2 may be related to the evolution of the inflammatory process

Withaferin a-induced apoptosis in human breast cancer cells is mediated by reactive oxygen species

Withaferin A (WA), a promising anticancer constituent of Ayurvedic medicinal plant Withania somnifera, inhibits growth of MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 human breast cancer cells in culture and MDA-MB-231 xenografts in vivo in association with apoptosis induction, but the mechanism of cell death is not fully understood. We now demonstrate, for the first time, that WA-induced apoptosis is mediated by reactive oxygen species (ROS) production due to inhibition of mitochondrial respiration. WA treatment caused ROS production in MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 cells, but not in a normal human mammary epithelial cell line (HMEC). The HMEC was also resistant to WA-induced apoptosis. WA-mediated ROS production as well as apoptotic histone-associated DNA fragment release into the cytosol was significantly attenuated by ectopic expression of Cu,Zn-superoxide dismutase in both MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 cells. ROS production resulting from WA exposure was accompanied by inhibition of oxidative phosphorylation and inhibition of complex III activity. Mitochondrial DNA-deficient Rho-0 variants of MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 cells were resistant to WA-induced ROS production, collapse of mitochondrial membrane potential, and apoptosis compared with respective wild-type cells. WA treatment resulted in activation of Bax and Bak in MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 cells, and SV40 immortalized embryonic fibroblasts derived from Bax and Bak double knockout mouse were significantly more resistant to WA-induced apoptosis compared with fibroblasts derived from wild-type mouse. In conclusion, the present study provides novel insight into the molecular circuitry of WA-induced apoptosis involving ROS production and activation of Bax/Bak. © 2011 Hahm et al

Post-release evaluation of a combination of biocontrol agents on Crofton weed: testing extrapolation of greenhouse results to field conditions

Two biocontrol agents, a leaf-spot pathogen, Passalora ageratinae, and a stem gall fly, Procecidochares utilis, have been released against Crofton weed, Ageratina adenophora (syn. Eupatorium adenophorum) (Asteraceae), in South Africa. This work reports the first post-release evaluation of the effect of both agents acting together in the field. A greenhouse trial using both agents had predicted an additive (beneficial) interaction between the agents. This study investigated if the additive interaction was present in the field. Four month old stems were exposed to one of the following three treatments (n = 20 plants per treatment): pathogen-only, pathogen plus single fly-galled, and pathogen plus double fly-galled, for 11 months. The interaction between the agents was equivalent to both agents acting independently (i.e. there was no additive effect on the weed’s growth). The greenhouse trails were therefore not predictive of field conditions

The effects of a stem gall fly and a leaf pathogen on the reproductive output of Crofton weed, Ageratina adenophora (Asteraceae), in greenhouse and field trials

Reducing the reproductive output of an invasive weed using biocontrol can result in a decrease in population density and help control the spread of the weed. Two biocontrol agents, a stem gall fly, Procecidochares utilis (Tephritidae), and a leaf-spot fungal pathogen, Passalora ageratinae (Mycosphaerellaceae), have been released against Crofton weed, Ageratina adenophora, in South Africa. In this study we investigated the impact of the agents, individually and together, on Crofton weed's reproductive output, under both greenhouse and field conditions. Galling by P. utilis, with or without P. ageratinae, resulted in 32% fewer flowering structures per stem, compared to ungalled treatments in both the field and the greenhouse; however, without P. utilis, P. ageratinae did not reduce the number of flowering structures per stem. In the greenhouse, galled stems had 24% (single galled)-55% (double-galled) fewer filled achenes than ungalled stems, while pathogen-infected stems had 27% fewer filled achenes per stem in comparison to uninfected stems. Although the biocontrol agents reduced the number of filled achenes, the percentage germination remained high and similar for all treatments (69.3-74.4%) in the field and the greenhouse. The combination of the two agents together did not provide more control of sexual reproduction than P. utilis alone. However, Crofton weed compensates for galling with increased sideshoot growth (vegetative reproduction), which in time also flower. But P. ageratinae inhibits growth of sideshoots. Therefore, the combination of the two agents best enhances the level of control rather than either agent in isolation

Different uptake of cobalamin (vitamin B12) by astrocytes and oligodendrocytes isolated from rat spinal cord

In the present study, we hypothesized that cobalamin (Cbl) deficiency might affect astrocytes and oligodendrocytes of rat spinal cord (SC) differently. Radiolabeled Cbl ([Cyano-14C]cyano-Cbl) was used to investigate whether the in vitro uptake of Cbl is different in primary cultures of oligodendrocytes and astrocytes. In culture medium supplemented with serum that naturally contains Cbl, the time course of labeled Cbl uptake by neonatal oligodendrocytes had two peaks, at 8 h and 24 h. No uptake was observed when the same cells were cultured in a serum-free medium and consequently in the absence of Cbl. Oligodendrocytes isolated from adult rat SC showed no uptake under any of the tested conditions. Astrocytes isolated from adult Cbl-deficient and newborn rat SC, both cultured in a medium supplemented with serum, showed peak Cbl uptake at 8 h and 12 h, respectively, whereas those isolated from the SC of an adult normal rat cultured under the same conditions showed no uptake throughout the experimental period. Astrocytes isolated from normal, Cbl-deficient adult rats and newborns cultured in a serum-free medium not containing Cbl, showed a similar trend of Cbl uptake with a peak at 24 h. Oligodendrocytes isolated from Cbl-deficient rats showed no uptake when cultured in medium with or without serum. This study provides evidence for a difference in the uptake of labeled Cbl between rat SC astrocytes and oligodendrocytes in relation to (1) age of the donor SC, (2) Cbl status of the donor SC, and (3) Cbl deficiency in the incubation medium that facilitates Cbl uptake in neonatal and adult astrocytes