155 research outputs found
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Genome-wide screening of mouse knockouts reveals novel genes required for normal integumentary and oculocutaneous structure and function.
Oculocutaneous syndromes are often due to mutations in single genes. In some cases, mouse models for these diseases exist in spontaneously occurring mutations, or in mice resulting from forward mutatagenesis screens. Here we present novel genes that may be causative for oculocutaneous disease in humans, discovered as part of a genome-wide screen of knockout-mice in a targeted single-gene deletion project. The International Mouse Phenotyping Consortium (IMPC) database (data release 10.0) was interrogated for all mouse strains with integument abnormalities, which were then cross-referenced individually to identify knockouts with concomitant ocular abnormalities attributed to the same targeted gene deletion. The search yielded 307 knockout strains from unique genes with integument abnormalities, 226 of which have not been previously associated with oculocutaneous conditions. Of the 307 knockout strains with integument abnormalities, 52 were determined to have ocular changes attributed to the targeted deletion, 35 of which represent novel oculocutaneous genes. Some examples of various integument abnormalities are shown, as well as two examples of knockout strains with oculocutaneous phenotypes. Each of the novel genes provided here are potentially relevant to the pathophysiology of human integumentary, or oculocutaneous conditions, such as albinism, phakomatoses, or other multi-system syndromes. The novel genes reported here may implicate molecular pathways relevant to these human diseases and may contribute to the discovery of novel therapeutic targets
Genetically modified mice- Methods, applications and outlook
Background & Aim: Transgenic mice, of tengenerated by random integration of foreign
genes into the mouse genome or by targeted mutation in a particular gene, have demonstrated
to be a very effective tool for studying gene function in living things. In this review article, we
discussed on the current methods of generating genetically-modified mice and their related
problems and then investigated the new methods developed to overcome these problems.
Finally, we discussed future prospects on the gene targeting.
Methods & Materials: This is a review article, which has been written after searching
Pubmed, Scopus, Google Scholar, Springer, Elsevier and Magiran databases by using
keywords of transgenic mice, functional genetics, genetargeting, and homologous
recombination.
Results: This study dealt with genetic variations in a wide range, differential processing and
inactivation of gene-specific isoforms, local and induced genetic changes, Cre/loxP system
and some future perspectives.
Conclusion: Success rate in genetic modification of mouse genome has increased
dramatically, and use of knockout mice has resulted in increased knowledge of human
biology and diseases
FASTKIT: A Mobile Cable-Driven Parallel Robot for Logistics
International audienceThe subject of this paper is about the design, modeling, control and performance evaluation of a low cost and versatile robotic solution for logistics. The robot under study, named FASTKIT, is obtained from a combination of mobile robots and a Cable-Driven Parallel Robot (CDPR). FASTKIT addresses an industrial need for fast picking and kitting operations in existing storage facilities while being easy to install, keeping existing infrastructures and covering large areas. The FASTKIT prototype consists of two mobile bases that carry the exit points of the CDPR. The system can navigate autonomously to the area of interest. Once the desired position is attained, the system deploys the CDPR in such a way that its workspace corresponds to the current task specification. The system calculates the required mobile base position from the desired workspace and ensures the controllability of the platform during the deployment. Once the system is successfully deployed, the set of stabilizers are used to ensure the prototype structural stability. Then the prototype gripper is moved accurately by the CDPR at high velocity over a large area by controlling the cable tension
Microscopic calculation of 6Li elastic and transition form factors
Variational Monte Carlo wave functions, obtained from a realistic Hamiltonian
consisting of the Argonne v18 two-nucleon and Urbana-IX three-nucleon
interactions, are used to calculate the 6Li ground-state longitudinal and
transverse form factors as well as transition form factors to the first four
excited states. The charge and current operators include one- and two-body
components, leading terms of which are constructed consistently with the
two-nucleon interaction. The calculated form factors and radiative widths are
in good agreement with available experimental data.Comment: 9 pages, 2 figures, REVTeX, submitted to Physical Review Letters,
with updated introduction and reference
Three-body resonances in He-6, Li-6, and Be-6, and the soft dipole mode problem of neutron halo nuclei
Using the complex scaling method, the low-lying three-body resonances of
He, Li, and Be are investigated in a parameter-free microscopic
three-cluster model. In He a 2, in Li a 2 and a 1, and in
Be the 0 ground state and a 2 excited state is found. The other
experimentally known 2 state of Li cannot be localized by our present
method. We have found no indication for the existence of the predicted 1
soft dipole state in He. We argue that the sequential decay mode of He
through the resonant states of its two-body subsystem can lead to peaks in the
excitation function. This process can explain the experimental results in the
case of Li, too. We propose an experimental analysis, which can decide
between the soft dipole mode and the sequential decay mode.Comment: REVTEX, Submitted to Phys. Rev. C, 12 pages, 2 postscript figures are
available upon request. CALTECH, MAP-16
Spectral Lags and the Lag-Luminosity Relation: An Investigation with Swift BAT Gamma-ray Bursts
Spectral lag, the time difference between the arrival of high-energy and
low-energy photons, is a common feature in Gamma-ray Bursts (GRBs). Norris et
al. 2000 reported a correlation between the spectral lag and the isotropic peak
luminosity of GRBs based on a limited sample. More recently, a number of
authors have provided further support for this correlation using arbitrary
energy bands of various instruments. In this paper we report on a systematic
extraction of spectral lags based on the largest Swift sample to date of 31
GRBs with measured redshifts. We extracted the spectral lags for all
combinations of the standard Swift hard x-ray energy bands: 15-25 keV, 25-50
keV, 50-100 keV and 100-200 keV and plotted the time dilation corrected lag as
a function of isotropic peak luminosity. The mean value of the correlation
coefficient for various channel combinations is -0.68 with a chance probability
of ~ 0.7 x 10^{-3}. In addition, the mean value of the power-law index is 1.4
+/- 0.3. Hence, our study lends support for the existence of a lag-luminosity
correlation, albeit with large scatter.Comment: 19 Pages, 11 Figures and 5 Tables; Accepted to The Astrophysical
Journa
The Lag-Luminosity Relation in the GRB Source Frame: An Investigation with Swift BAT Bursts
Spectral lag. which is defined as the difference in time of arrival of high- and low-energy photons. is a common feature in gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). Previous investigations have shown a correlation between this lag and the isotropic peak luminosity for long duration bursts. However. most of the previous investigations used lags extracted in the observer frame only. In this work (based on a sample of 43 Swift long GRBs with known redshifts). we present an analysis of the lag-luminosity relation in the GRB source frame. Our analysis indicates a higher degree of correlation -0.82 +/- 0.05 (chance probability of approx. 5.5 x 10(exp -5) between the spectral lag and the isotropic peak luminosity, L(sub iso). with a best-fitting power-law index of -1.2 +/- 0.2. In addition, there is an anticorrelation between the source-frame spectral lag and the source-frame peak energy of the burst spectrum
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Erratum: Author Correction: Identification of genes required for eye development by high-throughput screening of mouse knockouts.
[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1038/s42003-018-0226-0.]
Division site selection linked to inherited cell surface wave troughs in mycobacteria
Cell division is tightly controlled in space and time to maintain cell size and ploidy within narrow bounds. In bacteria, the canonical Minicell (Min) and nucleoid occlusion (Noc) systems together ensure that division is restricted to midcell after completion of chromosome segregation1. It is unknown how division site selection is controlled in bacteria that lack homologues of the Min and Noc proteins, including mycobacteria responsible for tuberculosis and other chronic infections2. Here, we use correlated optical and atomic-force microscopy3,4 to demonstrate that morphological landmarks (waveform troughs) on the undulating surface of mycobacterial cells correspond to future sites of cell division. Newborn cells inherit wave troughs from the (grand)mother cell and ultimately divide at the centre-most wave trough, making these morphological features the earliest known landmark of future division sites. In cells lacking the chromosome partitioning (Par) system, missegregation of chromosomes is accompanied by asymmetric cell division at off-centre wave troughs, resulting in the formation of anucleate cells. These results demonstrate that inherited morphological landmarks and chromosome positioning together restrict mycobacterial division to the midcell position
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