On the Early History of Current Algebra

The history of Current Algebra is reviewed up to the appearance of the Adler-Weisberger sum rule. Particular emphasis is given to the role current algebra played for the historical struggle in strong interaction physics of elementary particles between the S-matrix approach based on dispersion relations and field theory. The question whether there are fundamental particles or all hadrons are bound or resonant states of one another played an important role in this struggle and is thus also regarded.Comment: 17 page

Rice growth under water stress levels imposedat distinct developmental stages.

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Risk aversion and willingness to pay for water quality: The case of non-farm rural residents

Stated choice experiments are used to investigate the economic valuation of rural residents living in the province of Quebec for water quality improvements. In Quebec, rural residents played an important role in the setting of stricter environmental regulations. Unlike most stated choice experiments about the valuation of improvements in water quality, this study explicitly accounts for risk in the design and analysis of choice experiments. Risk in phosphorus and coliform reductions is introduced through a three-point uniform distribution in the choice sets. The results show greater support for constant absolute risk aversion preferences than for constant relative risk aversion. Rural residents value coliform and phosphorus reductions and the more educated ones are particularly willing to see the government tax farmers and taxpayers to secure such reductions. As the science improves and risk in water quality outcomes decrease and as the political weight of non-farm rural residents increase, it should be easier for governments to replace voluntary cost-share programs by polluter-payer programs

Targeting intratumoral B cells with rituximab in addition to CHOP in angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma. A clinicobiological study of the GELA.

Background In angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, symptoms linked to B-lymphocyte activation are common, and variable numbers of CD20(+) large B-blasts, often infected by Epstein-Barr virus, are found in tumor tissues. We postulated that the disruption of putative B-T interactions and/or depletion of the Epstein-Barr virus reservoir by an anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody (rituximab) could improve the clinical outcome produced by conventional chemotherapy. DESIGN AND METHODS: Twenty-five newly diagnosed patients were treated, in a phase II study, with eight cycles of rituximab + chemotherapy (R-CHOP21). Tumor infiltration, B-blasts and Epstein-Barr virus status in tumor tissue and peripheral blood were fully characterized at diagnosis and were correlated with clinical outcome. RESULTS: A complete response rate of 44% (95% CI, 24% to 65%) was observed. With a median follow-up of 24 months, the 2-year progression-free survival rate was 42% (95% CI, 22% to 61%) and overall survival rate was 62% (95% CI, 40% to 78%). The presence of Epstein-Barr virus DNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (14/21 patients) correlated with Epstein-Barr virus score in lymph nodes (P<0.004) and the detection of circulating tumor cells (P=0.0019). Despite peripheral Epstein-Barr virus clearance after treatment, the viral load at diagnosis (>100 copy/μg DNA) was associated with shorter progression-free survival (P=0.06). Conclusions We report here the results of the first clinical trial targeting both the neoplastic T cells and the microenvironment-associated CD20(+) B lymphocytes in angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, showing no clear benefit of adding rituximab to conventional chemotherapy. A strong relationship, not previously described, between circulating Epstein-Barr virus and circulating tumor cells is highlighted

The Macronuclear Genome of \u3cem\u3eStentor coeruleus\u3c/em\u3e Reveals Tiny Introns in a Giant Cell

The giant, single-celled organism Stentor coeruleus has a long history as a model system for studying pattern formation and regeneration in single cells. Stentor [1, 2] is a heterotrichous ciliate distantly related to familiar ciliate models, such as Tetrahymena or Paramecium. The primary distinguishing feature of Stentor is its incredible size: a single cell is 1 mm long. Early developmental biologists, including T.H. Morgan [3], were attracted to the system because of its regenerative abilities—if large portions of a cell are surgically removed, the remnant reorganizes into a normal-looking but smaller cell with correct proportionality [2, 3]. These biologists were also drawn to Stentor because it exhibits a rich repertoire of behaviors, including light avoidance, mechanosensitive contraction, food selection, and even the ability to habituate to touch, a simple form of learning usually seen in higher organisms [4]. While early microsurgical approaches demonstrated a startling array of regenerative and morphogenetic processes in this single-celled organism, Stentor was never developed as a molecular model system. We report the sequencing of the Stentor coeruleus macronuclear genome and reveal key features of the genome. First, we find that Stentor uses the standard genetic code, suggesting that ciliate-specific genetic codes arose after Stentor branched from other ciliates. We also discover that ploidy correlates with Stentor’s cell size. Finally, in the Stentor genome, we discover the smallest spliceosomal introns reported for any species. The sequenced genome opens the door to molecular analysis of single-cell regeneration in Stentor

MicroRNA Expression Analysis in the Cellulosic Biofuel Crop Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) under Abiotic Stress

Switchgrass has increasingly been recognized as a dedicated biofuel crop for its broad adaptation to marginal lands and high biomass. However, little is known about the basic biology and the regulatory mechanisms of gene expression in switchgrass, particularly under stress conditions. In this study, we investigated the effect of salt and drought stress on switchgrass germination, growth and the expression of small regulatory RNAs. The results indicate that salt stress had a gradual but significant negative effect on switchgrass growth and development. The germination rate was significantly decreased from 82% for control to 36% under 1% NaCl treatment. However, drought stress had little effect on the germination rate but had a significant effect on the growth of switchgrass under the severest salinity stress. Both salt and drought stresses altered the expression pattern of miRNAs in a dose-dependent manner. However, each miRNA responded to drought stress in a different pattern. Salt and drought stress changed the expression level of miRNAs mainly from 0.9-fold up-regulation to 0.7-fold down-regulation. miRNAs were less sensitive to drought treatment than salinity treatment, as evidenced by the narrow fold change in expression levels. Although the range of change in expression level of miRNAs was similar under salt and drought stress, no miRNAs displayed significant change in expression level under all tested salt conditions. Two miRNAs, miR156 and miR162, showed significantly change in expression level under high drought stress. This suggests that miR156 and miR162 may attribute to the adaption of switchgrass to drought stress and are good candidates for improving switchgrass as a biofuel crop by transgenic technology

A novel diffuse gastric cancer susceptibility variant in E-cadherin (CDH1) intron 2: A case control study in an Italian population

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Inherited genetic factors such as E-cadherin (<it>CDH1</it>) promoter variants are believed to influence the risk towards sporadic diffuse gastric cancer (DGC). Recently, a new regulatory region essential for <it>CDH1 </it>transcription has been identified in <it>CDH1 </it>intron 2.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We genotyped all known polymorphisms located within conserved sequences of <it>CDH1 </it>intron 2 (rs10673765, rs9932686, rs1125557, rs9282650, rs9931853) in an Italian population consisting of 134 DGC cases and 100 healthy controls (55 patient relatives and 45 unrelated, matched individuals). The influence of individual variants on DGC risk was assessed using χ²-tests and logistic regression. The relative contribution of alleles was estimated by haplotype analysis.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We observed a significant (p < 0.0004) association of the <it>CDH1 </it>163+37235G>A variant (rs1125557) with DGC risk. Odds ratios were 4.55 (95%CI = 2.09–9.93) and 1.38 (95%CI = 0.75–2.55) for AA and GA carriers, respectively. When adjusted for age, sex, smoking status, alcohol intake and <it>H. pylori </it>infection, the risk estimates remained largely significant for AA carriers. Haplotype analysis suggested the 163+37235A-allele contributes to disease risk independently of the other variants studied.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The <it>CDH1 </it>163+37235G>A polymorphism may represent a novel susceptibility variant for sporadic DGC if confirmed in other populations. Considering the broad expression of E-cadherin in epithelia, this exploratory study encourages further evaluation of the 163+37235A-allele as a susceptibility variant in other carcinomas.</p

Differential Contribution of Rod and Cone Circadian Clocks in Driving Retinal Melatonin Rhythms in Xenopus

Background: Although an endogenous circadian clock located in the retinal photoreceptor layer governs various physiological events including melatonin rhythms in Xenopus laevis, it remains unknown which of the photoreceptors, rod and/or cone, is responsible for the circadian regulation of melatonin release. Methodology/Principal Findings: We selectively disrupted circadian clock function in either the rod or cone photoreceptor cells by generating transgenic Xenopus tadpoles expressing a dominant-negative CLOCK (XCLDQ) under the control of a rod or cone-specific promoter. Eyecup culture and continuous melatonin measurement revealed that circadian rhythms of melatonin release were abolished in a majority of the rod-specific XCLDQ transgenic tadpoles, although the percentage of arrhythmia was lower than that of transgenic tadpole eyes expressing XCLDQ in both rods and cones. In contrast, whereas a higher percentage of arrhythmia was observed in the eyes of the cone-specific XCLDQ transgenic tadpoles compare to wildtype counterparts, the rate was significantly lower than in rod-specific transgenics. The levels of the transgene expression were comparable between these two different types of transgenics. In addition, the average overall melatonin levels were not changed in the arrhythmic eyes, suggesting that CLOCK does not affect absolute levels of melatonin, only its temporal expression pattern. Conclusions/Significance: These results suggest that although the Xenopus retina is made up of approximately equa