1,252 research outputs found
Recommended from our members
Changes in the mountain river discharge in the northern Tien Shan since the mid-20th Century: Results from the analysis of a homogeneous daily streamflow data set from seven catchments
This study is an assessment of the changes in seasonal and monthly flow in seven catchments draining the northern Tien Shan Mountains in Central Asia over a period from the 1950s to the present day. The purpose is to provide a first assessment of the flow response to climate change in regionally important catchments given their contribution to the water resource. All the catchments have a natural flow regime, and are therefore sensitive to climate change, but differ in area, elevation and glacial extent. Trends in flow were characterised using the Mann-Kendall test for standard meteorological seasons and individual months for mean flow, five flow quantiles and peak-over-threshold series for the period 1974–2013 at all sites and from the 1950s where data were available. The results were related to trends in seasonal temperature and precipitation from the regional high elevation meteorological stations and glacier mass balance, equilibrium line altitude (ELA) and accumulation
area ratio (AAR) records from the Tuyuksu glacier. The results show no reduction in streamflow in any catchment or season in the northern Tien Shan since the 1950s. Positive trends in all flow indicators, including peak over- threshold frequency, were observed in catchments with higher glacierization of over 10% and extensive presence of rock glaciers and permafrost indicating increased melt over the period which is characterised by a long-term increase in temperature. These trends were most evident in autumn and winter. In catchments with low glacierization, variability in summer flow was controlled primarily by precipitation of the preceding cold season. Correlation with glacier mass balance was weak but changes in ELA and AAR indicate that production of liquid runoff at higher elevations contributes to increased streamflow partly compensating for the declining glacier area. The observed changes in streamflow do not suggest any immediate problems with water availability
in the northern Tien Shan. On the contrary, increased autumn and winter flows point at a more prolonged recharge of reservoirs and aquifers though eventually this water source will be exhausted
Production and molecular characterization of wide cross derivatives in rice
The reduced genetic variability of modern rice varieties (Oryza sativa L.) is of great concern because it reduces the possibilities of genetic gain in breeding programs. Introgression lines (ILs) containing genetic fragment from wild rice can be used to obtain new improved cultivars. The objective of the present study was to develop ILs from the cross between O. sativa x O. longistminata aiming to be used in rice breeding program. In the present study, 12 ILs were produced. Among them, three ILs were highly resistant to all the isolates of bacterial blight from North West Frontier Province (NWFP) of Pakistan. A 900 bp DNA fragment linked to Xa21 was raised in these introgression lines and in O. longistminata by a pair of primers confirming the presence of Xa21 gene in these lines. Results indicated that Xa21 has broad spectrum of resistance to bacterial blight and wild species are the useful source for resistance
Localizing introgression on the chromosome of rice by genomic in situ hybridization (GISH)
Genomic in situ hybridization was used to detect introgressed segment from Oryza australinesis onto the chromosomes of introgression line derived from the hybrid O. sativa x O. australinesis. Genomic DNA from Oryza australinesis was labeled with biotin and hybridized to the homologous sequences on the O. sativa chromosomes. The probe hybridization fluoresced green and non labeled O. sativa chromosomes appeared red or blue due to counterstaining with propidium iodide (PI) or 4,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI). This differential painting of chromosomes unequivocally detected the introgressedsegment. Among the 200 cells analyzed, 6.5% of the cells showed  hybridization signal. Signal appeared on one chromosome in 5%, on two homologous chromosomes in 1% and on sister chromatids in 0.5%of the cells. Hybridization was seen on the short arm of the chromosome 12 of the introgression line
Estimation of genetic effects controlling different plant traits in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) under CLCuV epidemic condition
Nine cotton genotypes,
comprised of four non Bt males (CIM-1100,
CIM-506, FH-942 and FH-900), five Bt
female genotypes (FH-113, FH-114, MNH-
886, AA-703 and IR-3701) and their 20
crosses were screened in order to evaluate
their response to Cotton leaf curl virus
symptoms through epidemiology in the field
and greenhouse. The 20 crosses among their
nine parents were sown in two replications
under randomized complete block design,
during 2013 and 2014. The mean squares
were significant for all traits indicating that
both additive and non-additive genes control
the characters, but non-additive genes were
more important because, variance of
dominant genes were higher than additive
genes. In our test, FH-900 showed the best
performance against CLCuV, number of
lobes per boll and seed yield. The CIM-
1100 genotype performed well in boll
weight, fiber strength and fiber fineness,
whereas CIM-506 was good for plant
height, number of sympodial branches and
ginning. Maximum boll number, seed index
and fiber length were shown by FH-942.
Among lines, MNH886, FH-113, IR-3701
and FH-114 exhibited the best general
combination for many traits. Hence, parents
were preferred for hybridization program to improve the majority of characters. Hybrids
FH-113 × FH-942, MNH-886 × CIM-1100,
MNH-886 × FH-942, IR-3701 × CIM-506,
AA-703 × CIM-1100, FH-114 × FH-942,
FH-114 × CIM-1100 and MNH-886 × FH-
900 was best in specific combinations for
different traits, especially against CLCuV.
The results indicated that to increase
resistance against CLCuV, hybrids should
be exploited to develop CLCuV resistance
Helicity-dependent cross sections and double-polarization observable E in η photoproduction from quasifree protons and neutrons
Precise helicity-dependent cross sections and the double-polarization observable E were measured for η
photoproduction from quasifree protons and neutrons bound in the deuteron. The η → 2γ and η → 3π0 → 6γ
decay modes were used to optimize the statistical quality of the data and to estimate systematic uncertainties. The
measurement used the A2 detector setup at the tagged photon beam of the electron accelerator MAMI in Mainz.
A longitudinally polarized deuterated butanol target was used in combination with a circularly polarized photon
beam from bremsstrahlung of a longitudinally polarized electron beam. The reaction products were detected with
the electromagnetic calorimeters Crystal Ball and TAPS, which covered 98% of the full solid angle. The results
show that the narrow structure observed earlier in the unpolarized excitation function of η photoproduction off
the neutron appears only in reactions with antiparallel photon and nucleon spin (σ1/2). It is absent for reactions
with parallel spin orientation (σ3/2) and thus very probably related to partial waves with total spin 1/2. The
behavior of the angular distributions of the helicity-dependent cross sections was analyzed by fitting them with Legendre polynomials. The results are in good agreement with a model from the Bonn-Gatchina group, which
uses an interference of P11 and S11 partial waves to explain the narrow structure
Measurement of pi^0 photoproduction on the proton at MAMI C
Differential cross sections for the gamma p -> pi^0 p reaction have been
measured with the A2 tagged-photon facilities at the Mainz Microtron, MAMI C,
up to the center-of-mass energy W=1.9 GeV. The new results, obtained with a
fine energy and angular binning, increase the existing quantity of pi^0
photoproduction data by ~47%. Owing to the unprecedented statistical accuracy
and the full angular coverage, the results are sensitive to high partial-wave
amplitudes. This is demonstrated by the decomposition of the differential cross
sections in terms of Legendre polynomials and by further comparison to model
predictions. A new solution of the SAID partial-wave analysis obtained after
adding the new data into the fit is presented.Comment: 13 pages, 12 figures, 1 tabl
Determination of the scalar polarizabilities of the proton using beam asymmetry in Compton scattering
The scalar dipole polarizabilities, and , are
fundamental properties related to the internal dynamics of the nucleon. The
currently accepted values of the proton polarizabilities were determined by
fitting to unpolarized proton Compton scattering cross section data. The
measurement of the beam asymmetry in a certain kinematical range
provides an alternative approach to the extraction of the scalar
polarizabilities. At the Mainz Microtron (MAMI) the beam asymmetry was measured
for Compton scattering below pion photoproduction threshold for the first time.
The results are compared with model calculations and the influence of the
experimental data on the extraction of the scalar polarizabilities is
determined.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figure
Evaluating predictive pharmacogenetic signatures of adverse events in colorectal cancer patients treated with fluoropyrimidines
The potential clinical utility of genetic markers associated with response to fluoropyrimidine treatment in colorectal cancer patients remains controversial despite extensive study. Our aim was to test the clinical validity of both novel and previously identified markers of adverse events in a broad clinical setting. We have conducted an observational pharmacogenetic study of early adverse events in a cohort study of 254 colorectal cancer patients treated with 5-fluorouracil or capecitabine. Sixteen variants of nine key folate (pharmacodynamic) and drug metabolising (pharmacokinetic) enzymes have been analysed as individual markers and/or signatures of markers. We found a significant association between TYMP S471L (rs11479) and early dose modifications and/or severe adverse events (adjusted OR = 2.02 [1.03; 4.00], p = 0.042, adjusted OR = 2.70 [1.23; 5.92], p = 0.01 respectively). There was also a significant association between these phenotypes and a signature of DPYD mutations (Adjusted OR = 3.96 [1.17; 13.33], p = 0.03, adjusted OR = 6.76 [1.99; 22.96], p = 0.002 respectively). We did not identify any significant associations between the individual candidate pharmacodynamic markers and toxicity. If a predictive test for early adverse events analysed the TYMP and DPYD variants as a signature, the sensitivity would be 45.5 %, with a positive predictive value of just 33.9 % and thus poor clinical validity. Most studies to date have been under-powered to consider multiple pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic variants simultaneously but this and similar individualised data sets could be pooled in meta-analyses to resolve uncertainties about the potential clinical utility of these markers
Self-similarity of Mean Flow in Pipe Turbulence
Based on our previous modified log-wake law in turbulent pipe ‡flows, we invent two compound similarity numbers (Y;U), where Y is a combination of the inner variable y+ and outer variable , and U is the pure exect of the wall. The two similarity numbers can well collapse mean velocity profile data with different moderate and large Reynolds numbers into a single universal profile. We then propose an arctangent law for the buffer layer and a general log law for the outer region in terms of (Y;U). From Milikan’s maximum velocity law and the Princeton superpipe data, we derive the von Kármán constant = 0:43 and the additive constant B=6. Using an asymptotic matching method, we obtain a self-similarity law that describes the mean velocity profile from the wall to axis; and embeds the linear law in the viscous sublayer, the quartic law in the bursting sublayer, the classic log law in the overlap, the sine-square wake law in the wake layer, and the parabolic law near the pipe axis. The proposed arctangent law, the general log law and the self-similarity law have been compared with the high-quality data sets, with diffrent Reynolds numbers, including those from the Princeton superpipe, Loulou et al., Durst et al., Perry et al., and den Toonder and Nieuwstadt. Finally, as an application of the proposed laws, we improve the McKeon et al. method for Pitot probe displacement correction, which can be used to correct the widely used Zagarola and Smits data set
Targeted knock-down of miR21 primary transcripts using snoMEN vectors induces apoptosis in human cancer cell lines
We have previously reported an antisense technology, 'snoMEN vectors', for targeted knock-down of protein coding mRNAs using human snoRNAs manipulated to contain short regions of sequence complementarity with the mRNA target. Here we characterise the use of snoMEN vectors to target the knock-down of micro RNA primary transcripts. We document the specific knock-down of miR21 in HeLa cells using plasmid vectors expressing miR21-targeted snoMEN RNAs and show this induces apoptosis. Knock-down is dependent on the presence of complementary sequences in the snoMEN vector and the induction of apoptosis can be suppressed by over-expression of miR21. Furthermore, we have also developed lentiviral vectors for delivery of snoMEN RNAs and show this increases the efficiency of vector transduction in many human cell lines that are difficult to transfect with plasmid vectors. Transduction of lentiviral vectors expressing snoMEN targeted to pri-miR21 induces apoptosis in human lung adenocarcinoma cells, which express high levels of miR21, but not in human primary cells. We show that snoMEN-mediated suppression of miRNA expression is prevented by siRNA knock-down of Ago2, but not by knock-down of Ago1 or Upf1. snoMEN RNAs colocalise with Ago2 in cell nuclei and nucleoli and can be co-immunoprecipitated from nuclear extracts by antibodies specific for Ago2
- …