1,291 research outputs found

    Nonlinear Response of Tropical Lower Stratospheric Temperature and Water Vapor to ENSO

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    A series of simulations using the NASA Goddard Earth Observing System Chemistry-Climate Model are analyzed in order to aid in the interpretation of observed interannual and sub-decadal variability in the tropical lower stratosphere over the past 35 years. The impact of El Nino-Southern Oscillation on temperature and water vapor in this region is nonlinear in boreal spring. While moderate El Nino events lead to cooling in this region, strong El Nino events lead to warming, even as the response of the large-scale Brewer Dobson circulation appears to scale nearly linearly with El Nino. This nonlinearity is shown to arise from the response in the Indo-West Pacific to El Nino: strong El Nino events lead to tropospheric warming extending into the tropical tropopause layer and up to the cold point in this region, where it allows for more water vapor to enter the stratosphere. The net effect is that both strong La Nina and strong El Nino events lead to enhanced entry water vapor and stratospheric moistening in boreal spring and early summer. These results lead to the following interpretation of the contribution of sea surface temperatures to the decline in water vapor in the early 2000s: the very strong El Nino event in 1997/1998, followed by more than 2 consecutive years of La Nina, led to enhanced lower-stratospheric water vapor. As this period ended in early 2001, entry water vapor concentrations declined. This effect accounts for approximately one-quarter of the observed drop

    Modulating signaling networks by CRISPR/Cas9-mediated transposable element insertion

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    In a recent past, transposable elements (TEs) were referred to as selfish genetic components only capable of copying themselves with the aim of increasing the odds of being inherited. Nonetheless, TEs have been initially proposed as positive control elements acting in synergy with the host. Nowadays, it is well known that TE movement into host genome comprises an important evolutionary mechanism capable of increasing the adaptive fitness. As insights into TE functioning are increasing day to day, the manipulation of transposition has raised an interesting possibility of setting the host functions, although the lack of appropriate genome engineering tools has unpaved it. Fortunately, the emergence of genome editing technologies based on programmable nucleases, and especially the arrival of a multipurpose RNA-guided Cas9 endonuclease system, has made it possible to reconsider this challenge. For such purpose, a particular type of transposons referred to as miniature inverted-repeat transposable elements (MITEs) has shown a series of interesting characteristics for designing functional drivers. Here, recent insights into MITE elements and versatile RNA-guided CRISPR/Cas9 genome engineering system are given to understand how to deploy the potential of TEs for control of the host transcriptional activity.Fil: Vaschetto, Luis Maria Benjamin. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Diversidad y Ecología Animal. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto de Diversidad y Ecología Animal; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Cátedra de Diversidad Animal I; Argentin

    Deterministic polarization chaos from a laser diode

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    Fifty years after the invention of the laser diode and fourty years after the report of the butterfly effect - i.e. the unpredictability of deterministic chaos, it is said that a laser diode behaves like a damped nonlinear oscillator. Hence no chaos can be generated unless with additional forcing or parameter modulation. Here we report the first counter-example of a free-running laser diode generating chaos. The underlying physics is a nonlinear coupling between two elliptically polarized modes in a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser. We identify chaos in experimental time-series and show theoretically the bifurcations leading to single- and double-scroll attractors with characteristics similar to Lorenz chaos. The reported polarization chaos resembles at first sight a noise-driven mode hopping but shows opposite statistical properties. Our findings open up new research areas that combine the high speed performances of microcavity lasers with controllable and integrated sources of optical chaos.Comment: 13 pages, 5 figure

    Role of the Alternans of Action Potential Duration and Aconitine-Induced Arrhythmias in Isolated Rabbit Hearts

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    Under conditions of Na+ channel hyperactivation with aconitine, the changes in action potential duration (APD) and the restitution characteristics have not been well defined in the context of aconitine-induced arrhythmogenesis. Optical mapping of voltage using RH237 was performed with eight extracted rabbit hearts that were perfused using the Langendorff system. The characteristics of APD restitution were assessed using the steady-state pacing protocol at baseline and 0.1 µM aconitine concentration. In addition, pseudo-ECG was analyzed at baseline, and with 0.1 and 1.0 µM of aconitine infusion respectively. Triggered activity was not shown in dose of 0.1 µM aconitine but overtly presented in 1.0 µM of aconitine. The slopes of the dynamic APD restitution curves were significantly steeper with 0.1 µM of aconitine than at baseline. With aconitine administration, the cycle length of initiation of APD alternans was significantly longer than at baseline (287.5 ± 9.6 vs 247.5 ± 15.0 msec, P = 0.016). The functional reentry following regional conduction block appears with the progression of APD alternans. Ventricular fibrillation is induced reproducibly at pacing cycle length showing a 2:1 conduction block. Low-dose aconitine produces arrhythmogenesis at an increasing restitution slope with APD alternans as well as regional conduction block that proceeds to functional reentry

    Agrobacterium-mediated transformation systems of Primula vulgaris

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    Background: Genetic transformation is a valuable tool and an important procedure in plant functional genomics contributing to gene discovery, allowing powerful insights into gene function and genetically controlled characteristics. Primulaceae species provide one of the best-known examples of heteromorphic flower development, a breeding system which has attracted considerable attention, including that of Charles Darwin. Molecular approaches, including plant transformation give the best opportunity to define and understand the role of genes involved in floral heteromorphy in the common primrose, Primula vulgaris, along with other Primula species. Results: Two transformation systems have been developed in P. vulgaris. The first system, Agrobacterium-mediated vacuum infiltration of seedlings, enables the rapid testing of transgenes, transiently in planta. GUS expression was observed in the cotyledons, true leaves, and roots of Primula seedlings. The second system is based on Agrobacterium tumefaciens infection of pedicel explants with an average transformation efficiency of 4.6%. This transformation system, based on regeneration and selection of transformants within in vitro culture, demonstrates stable transgene integration and transmission to the next generation. Conclusion: The two transformation systems reported here will aid fundamental research into important traits in Primula. Although, stable integration of transgenes is the ultimate goal for such analyses, transient gene expression via Agrobacterium-mediated DNA transfer, offers a simple and fast method to analyse transgene functions. The second system describes, for the first time, stable Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of Primula vulgaris, which will be key to characterising the genes responsible for the control of floral heteromorphy
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